Lena felt the world shift around her at those words as her full attention turned to the nurse. The woman started somewhat when Lena grabbed her hand.
"Can you repeat that once more?" The words came out harsher than she intended as they tried to stick in her throat. Leo? Waking up? The nurse cleared her throat and offered a gentle smile to the princess.
"I said that your brother, Leo Scarlet, has begun to regain consciousness. We tried to call you to let you know but-" She ignored the rest of the woman's words as she practically jumped up from the chair.
"Wa-wait, there's-" Lena didn't wait. She moved in a purposeful and swift manner towards the elevators without waiting to see if anyone would follow after her.
"There's something else that you wanted to inform her of?" Richard's words and gentle tone brought the nurse's attention over to the table's remaining occupant.
"Yes. I thought that she might want to know…" The woman's voice dropped as Richard listened intently to what the other had to say.
Lena cursed herself for taking the elevator. The few seconds between the lift coming up and taking her down felt like an eternity that would've been better spent taking the stairs. She slammed her hand against the elevator side as it took it's time taking her down to the floor where her brother's bedroom was related. Damn her for shutting her phone off and damn her for leaving. Lena's stomach became tighter with each passing second as the anticipating of what sight would greet her built up to an uncomfortable level.
She barely waited for the hospital doors to open before she burst out, not caring that she almost knocked over an elderly gentleman waiting to board after she left. She didn't have time to worry about such things. She needed to make it to her brother's room as quickly as possible.
"Well, it might take some time to get understand the results for sure. It's definitely a good sign that he's awake now. Please understand however that he needs to be kept in a calm sate until we can run some tests to determine how well he is or not doing." Lena skid to a stop outside the hospital room. Her uncle and the doctor blocked the doorway as they spoke. The conversation came to a stop as both pairs of eyes turned to Lena.
Lena brushed past the doctor, ignoring the fact that he tried to explain to her what he'd just told her uncle. Julian put his hand on the doctor's shoulder to stop him from trying to talk to the other. Right now wasn't the time.
Lena felt her heart sink somewhat she stared at Leo resting in the bed with his eyes closed. Had he already fallen back asleep before she got the opportunity to see how he was doing for herself? Tsk, the damn elevator took too long in getting her here.
"Staring at people like that makes it awfully difficult for them to catch up on some sleep with such an intense gaze boring into their skin." Lena's eyes widened as Leo spoke. The voice came out low and cracked, indicating a dry throat as he cough roughly after speaking.
"Nice to see you as well even though it doesn't sound like you have a lot to say to me. I had certainly thought you'd have more to say but it seems like even during this occasion you speak about as much as you did back when I was still in England." Lena felt her heart tug at the familiar teasing though it did little to draw out any words or her own voice easily. Leo waking up wasn't enough. Not yet. He still needed to fully recover before she'd know that he was okay for a sure fact.
"What do you expect me to say in this kind of situation? You're not even looking at me yet." Lena's voice came out softer than even she expected. The noise of surprise her brother made didn't escape.
"Lena, there's something the doctor needs to discuss with us." Julian gently pulled the princess in the direction of the doctor. She didn't move immediately, her gaze glued to her sibling as her eyes swam with a mixture of emotions. Would it turn out to be a dream if she took her eyes off him? If it did, she would murder the doctor for forcing her attention away from her brother.
"What is it?" Lena couldn't keep her eyes away from the other side of the room as she impatiently waited to hear what the doctor wanted to tell her.
"First I want to see what a good sign it is that your brother has woken up. The concussion doesn't appear on the surface to be as bad as expected. We won't know for certain until we do some tests to what level his brain or skull has been impacted. However…" The doctor's voice trailed off as he glanced back over to the hospital bed. Lena turned a harsh gaze in the direction when he didn't finish the sentence.
"What?" She asked only to be find herself and her uncle being shuffled outside of the hospital room, a nurse took their place to give Leo a quick check over and offer him a glass of water. Lena couldn't see how her brother reacted as doctor closed the door the moment the nurse began tending to Leo.
"It's not all that uncommon for some complications to occur from concussions. Depending on what part of the head is impacted, these complications can show up in different ways." Lena felt her frustration grow as the doctor continued his seemingly meaningless ramble. The Princess didn't miss the way Julian listened with a slightly averted gaze. He must've already know what the doctor was going to say.
"Cut to the chase. I'm not a child you need to mince your words with. If there's something wrong, tell me what it is so we can move onto how to handle it." The doctor paused, seeming taken aback by Lena's demand. The older man cleared his throat while adjusting his glasses.
"As of right now, your brother is blind."
