[A/N : Thank you so much to everyone who still supports this story, and for your patience with the time gap between chapters. You mean a lot to me! So without further ado, chapter ten (: ]

"His blood pressure's dropping!"

"Keith!"

"Get him out of here!"

"Surgery was a success. He's stable, if you want to see him."

There was the sound of a door opening then a gasp. Someone began crying; Keith tried to move, to offer comfort, but his body refused.

"He looks worse than he is, I promise."

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"In time yes. Our main concern right now is adapting treatments to match his physiology. As such, he needs significantly higher doses of medication. We're also closely monitoring his concussion."

"Can we stay for a bit, dad?"

"Of course. Take your time."

A door opened then closed. Keith strained against his body which had become his prison.

"Should we...should we talk to him?"

"Good idea, Hunk."

"Hey Keith. Everyone's here to see you."

His friends were there. He wanted to see them, desperately. He wanted to be with his family.

"He's going to be okay, princess."

There were a few sniffles. "I know. It's just hard to believe it with all these...contraptions."

"I wish we had a pod."

"Me too."

"Alright, everyone should try to get some rest. We can come back tomorrow."

Keith fought and fought and fought, railing against whatever kept him trapped in the half-sleep. His friends' fading footsteps made him struggle even harder.

But they were gone, and the darkness pulled him back under.

"Hey Keith. My mom made you a blanket. I have to finish packing, but I'll be back later," Hunk promised, resting his hand on Keith's arm. Before he could muster the strength to move Hunk was gone.

"He looks just like you described him, Katie."

"Mom..."

"Sorry, Pidge!"

"Dad said he's improving but he still hasn't woken up."

"You know, they say talking helps."

"I don't know what to say!"

"Well, what would you tell him if he was awake?"

Pidge hesitated. Keith waited patiently.

"I hate how you always put the rest of us above yourself, like you don't matter. You do. So you better wake up. Plus I hear Lance's family wants to meet you. That's what you get for being a martyr."

"Very nice. We should go check on your father."

The door closed and he sunk further into sleep.

"Okay, it's been three weeks. How long are you gonna keep this up?"

He heard Lance sigh heavily. "The repairs to the Atlas are nearly complete, and the lions are fully charged. So you can wake up now, okay?"

Keith tried. He really did.

"Please wake up."

Eventually Lance left, leaving silence in his wake.

Someone shone a light in his eye and he jerked, trying to pull away. Then knuckles rubbed his sternum making him groan. A pen tickled his hands and feet.

"How's he doing?"

"He's responding to external stimuli, and his pupils are sluggish but reactive."

"Any idea how long until he wakes up?"

"When he's ready. His body needs a chance to heal. Give him time."

"I can never thank you enough for taking care of him, Sam."

"You don't have to, Shiro. Your brother's a hero."

Something was wrong. Fire raced up his spine and pooled at the base of his skull, and in his chest, and his left arm. In response Keith moved, trying to propel his body away from the searing pain.

"He's waking up! Get the commander!"

His eyes opened onto a foreign world. Blurry figures surrounded him and something covered his nose and mouth. He panicked, yanking the mask off as he stumbled to his feet. His legs gave out and he fell to the floor, the figures encroaching. Hands descended upon him and he swung his right fist, somehow connecting with soft flesh. Someone cursed as the figures backed away and he propelled himself backwards until he hit the wall, keeping his fist weakly raised before him.

There were too many people around him, too many sounds and sensations. The bright lights forced his eyes closed with a whimper. He couldn't breathe.

"What's going on?" Shiro demanded, his familiar voice cutting through the commotion.

"He woke up, sir."

"Okay, clear the room!" He ordered. Keith blinked and slowly lowered his hand as his brother crouched beside him.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" He asked.

Keith choked on a sob. Shiro was there. He curled forward, resting his forehead against his brother's shoulder as the fight quickly left him. Each breath sent shards of glass shredding through his lungs and his head wasn't any better; he could taste his pulse as it reverberated through his tender skull. And for some reason his left arm wasn't working.

"H'rts...it h'rts..." He groaned.

"It's okay, I'm here," Shiro soothed, wrapping his arms around him. The touch helped to anchor him, to keep him from falling off the edge into full-blown panic.

"Is he alright?" Someone asked from nearby.

"I think he just got overwhelmed," Shiro replied, tightening his arms around Keith. "Let's get you back in bed."

He stood, easily lifting Keith from the floor. His vision doubled as the room tilted, then another pair of hands were there to gently guide him onto the bed. He flinched, nearly smacking his forehead into Shiro's.

"Easy, it's Sam Holt. He's here to help."

Keith squinted up at his brother and the older man as he laid down. Sam noticed his discomfort and quickly turned off the lights. Blessed shadows washed over them and he relaxed, able to slowly open his eyes in the semi-darkness.

"Looks like you tore out your IV," Sam said, wiping blood off the crook of his right elbow before quickly inserted a new IV into the back of his hand. "This will help with the pain. And the mask will take some of the strain off your lungs."

Shiro picked it up from it'd been flung and slipped it back over Keith's face. He immediately noticed the relief the cool oxygen brought, closing his eyes and focusing on just breathing.

"I need to check your stitches." Reluctantly Keith opened his eyes, nodding once at the older man who gently peeled back the bandage covering the right side of his chest. From that angle he couldn't see anything and the new dose of pain medication made everything fuzzy.

Sam taped the bandage back in place. "The incision looks good. We can discuss breathing exercises later. I'll let you two catch up."

Keith watched him leave as Shiro sat on the edge of his bed, surveying him with a relieved expression.

"Everyone's gonna be happy you're awake."

"Wha'...wha' happen'd?" He slurred, voice muffled by the mask.

"You crashed, after sending that machine into space. You saved everyone."

"I crashed?" Keith asked. He had no memory of it. And he didn't recognize his surroundings but the confusion on why that mattered evaporated as quickly as the thought had appeared in his addled brain.

Shiro nodded. "You've been unconscious for a little over a month. I'm just glad you're awake."

"I'm awake," he repeated, vaguely remembering a dream where he couldn't move.

"I can leave if you wanna rest," Shiro suggested.

"No!" Keith cried, jacknifing upright. He gasped as his chest constricted, collapsing back down and clenching his eyes tightly shut as he wheezed.

"Hey, hey, breathe! In and out."

Slowly his lungs stopped seizing and Keith relaxed. He looked up at his brother, who smiled faintly.

"I won't leave," Shiro promised as he covered him with a blanket, always knowing exactly what he needed to hear. "This reminds me of the first thunderstorm after we moved into that garrison apartment. You freaked out and I couldn't get you to go to bed, so I made you swear if you slept in my room you'd go to sleep. And it worked!"

He smiled, closing his eyes. And with the overwhelming feeling of safe surrounding him, he allowed his brother's voice to lull him to sleep.

Keith slowly walked away from the garrison med bay. Sam had given him permission to attend the Atlas team's final briefing on Earth later that afternoon even though he still wasn't medically cleared. And knowing how overprotective his brother could be, he'd taken his cue to quietly leave before someone alerted Shiro.

Sam had gone over in excruciating detail all of his injuries, and the expected recovery time, even with his Galran genes. Which he thankfully agreed to keep secret.

Six broken ribs. Punctured lung. Electrical burns to his left arm resulting in nerve damage. Severe concussion.

He was lucky to be alive.

But Sam was confident he'd regain his strength given enough time to fully heal. Keith tried to remain optimistic even as his chest burned and legs felt ready to give out. He leaned against the wall and glanced around, surprised to find himself outside the Hall where they'd eventually be gathering for the debrief.

Cursing his weak body, he propelled himself through the door and towards a chair on the far side of the table. He slumped into the seat and rested his head against the high back as he tried to calm his breathing.

The quiet, darkened room was definitely helping his headache. Sam had mentioned his aversion to bright lights and loud noises would eventually fade as he healed from his concussion, but Keith was more concerned by the memory loss and his arm. Plus the inexplicable frustration he constantly felt when he had to force himself to slow down so his body could rest. He didn't want to rest anymore.

Exhaling a heavy sigh, he fiddled with the strap for his sling, grimacing as he adjusted it. His arm felt practically useless.

He closed his eyes, preparing to wait for the others to arrive.

"Keith?"

"Guys, he's in here!"

His eyes snapped open, glaring up at Hunk, Pidge, Lance, Romelle, and Coran as they entered the room and sat in the seats beside him.

"We've been looking everywhere for you!" Pidge said.

"Why didn't you tell us you were getting cleared for duty today?" Hunk asked.

"Because I wasn't. Sam's just letting me come to the meeting," Keith replied, trying to keep the anger from his voice. Not only was he irritated with his body's slow healing, but his headache was back in full force.

"Well, we're glad you could join us," said Coran. At that moment the door opened and in filed a numerous assortment of human cadets and officers, Olkari engineers, Matt and the rebels, Sam, Iverson, Shiro, Allura...and Kolivan, Krolia, Acxa, Ezor and Zethrid.

"Mom?"

"We just arrived," Krolia explained, coming to stand behind him. "Whole galaxies have heard of your bravery and sacrifice. As the remaining Marmoran forces, we're here to offer our support."

Keith turned to Shiro who gave him an encouraging smile before stepping to the head of the table.

"Alright everyone, let's begin," he ordered. "How are the refugees settling?"

"Everyone is housed and provided for," Sam replied.

"We're still working on bringing in more each day," added Matt.

"And the garrison?"

"Our defenses are up and running," said Iverson. "And repairs have begun on the other stations around the globe. There's no Galran activity within several galaxies, but we're ready in case they return."

"Good," Shiro said, looking to Coran. "And the Atlas?"

"We finished the repairs last week," Coran replied, nodding to Pidge and Hunk.

"Then there's just one more thing," Shiro said, looking around the room. "It's our last night on Earth. The garrison is throwing a launch party and everyone's invited. Who knows when we might be back, so spend some time with your loved ones."

The room quickly began to empty. Keith waited for his opportunity to slip unnoticed back to the med bay. He could already feel his pain medication wearing off.

"Yah, like your date with Allura," Hunk teased, elbowing Lance.

"Shut up!" Lance whined, glancing at the princess who was deep in conversation with Romelle and hadn't overheard them.

Krolia moved to Keith's side. "I was going to go visit your father's grave, if you'd want to join."

"Your...your dad?" Pidge asked. The others knew the barest minimum about his family; his mom left when he was a baby, his dad died when he was a kid, and Shiro eventually adopted him. They still didn't even know Krolia's full story. It had all seemed too personal to divulge.

Too painful.

"He's buried near here," Shiro said, watching him closely. Keith pushed himself to his feet, acutely aware of the silence that had enveloped the room.

"I'm sure Sam would allow you to go," Allura suggested.

"No thanks."

A hurt look flashed across Krolia's face but she nodded in understanding. He left as quickly as he could, aware of everyone watching him.

As he began the trek back towards the med bay, Krolia's face kept flashing through his mind. She'd wanted them to visit his father together, but he couldn't. And he knew he'd never be able to rest in his room in the med bay, not with his heightened emotions feeling sharper than usual. Maybe it was the concussion.

Or maybe he was cracking under the strain.

His feet led him to the one place he'd been told, very strictly and under no circumstances, to enter. But there wasn't anywhere else for him to go.

Without hesitation he opened the door to the training deck and stepped into the room that once used to bring him such pride. He knew his strength, his limits, his capabilities. He wasn't afraid when he was in there. And he never doubted himself either.

A rack of weapons stood nearby. He walked over, running his hands across the handles of gleaming long swords, axes, wooden bo staffs, numerous guns, and many others. Before he could change his mind he tugged the sling off and slipped his Marmoran blade free from its sheath, holding it in his right hand. He doubted his left arm could handle any rigorous activity quite yet.

Maybe a few easy exercises would help clear his head.

He stared at the knife, his thoughts straying to his mom. She'd invited him to say goodbye to his father as a family and he'd said no. The guilt hit him hard, forcing him to look away. He glanced around the empty room and remembered how it had been when he was a cadet. And suddenly he wished to be anywhere else. Because what he had envisioned as a sanctuary providing clear answers to the thoughts swirling in his head gave him nothing more than a distinct sense of loneliness.

Keith had always been confident in his ability to survive. He'd lived through the abandonment of both his parents. Abuse in the foster system. Shiro's reported death on Kerberos. Becoming a paladin. Injuries. Trials. Shiro's second disappearance, and evil clone. Near death experiences. Sacrificing himself for his brother or his team time and time and time again.

He was their sword. The weapon that defended them. And occasionally he could manage to lead them out of disaster, but it was as if the universe didn't want to be saved. They defeated one monster and another would take its place.

And he was tired. Physically and mentally and emotionally. He was coming to the realization that he wasn't invincible, or that great of a leader. The others would be so much better off with Shiro returning as the Black paladin. Maybe Allura would agree to stay with Red, and he could help Coran on the Atlas.

He'd been willing to die for his friends before everything around them had gone to shit. But once again there was a galactic mess to clean up and he felt positive he knew where it would end - they all wouldn't survive the coming war.

That terrified him.

He clenched his fist, trying to stop the tremors. He'd been due the next dose of medication a while ago, something his body gleefully reminded him.

Standing on the training deck, alone, on his last night on Earth, didn't seem as pleasant as before.

"Come on," he growled at himself as he clumsily spun the blade. Flowing through a few simple defense practices, he cursed the ineptitude of his weakened body as the knife slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor. Without even thinking he bent down to retrieve it, reaching out with his left hand.

Agony splintered up his arm, racing from his fingertips to his shoulder and punching the air from his barely healed lungs.

Keith fell to his knees and curled forward, cradling his arm to his chest. He wasn't sure how long he cowered there with his head pressed against the floor. It could've been minutes or hours.

All he knew was the pain.

"Keith!"

Footsteps pounded towards him, reverberating through the floor. He stayed hunched over, ashamed to be found in such a pitiful state but unable to move for fear it would reignite the fire in his nerves.

Someone gently touched his shoulder as a shadow knelt beside him. He recoiled, pulling his arm closer against his body.

"Easy, it's me, Hunk."

He blinked, turning to look at the yellow paladin crouched beside him. Pidge stood nearby looking worried.

"We need to get you back to the med bay," Hunk suggested, staying close but not trying to touch him again. He noticed the way he was holding his arm. "Are you hurt?"

The tears came unbidden, coursing down his face and dripping into his lap. "My...my arm. I can't move my arm."

Pidge knelt in front of him, their green eyes mirroring his pain. "It's alright, we're here."

"The motor and sensory nerves are damaged, but it's not irreparable."

"How bad is it?"

"Not good. But with the compression brace and a higher dosage of medication he should be relatively healed in a few days. The hard part will be keeping him from using his arm at all during that critical time."

Keith blinked, the medical bay slowly coming into focus around him.

"Hey, he's awake!"

"Keith? Can you hear me?"

He shrugged, his mind too fuzzy to follow what was happening. Shiro was there with Pidge, Hunk, Coran, and Sam Holt. They all looked happy to see him. He glanced at his left arm and was surprised to find it encased in a black metallic brace from wrist to mid-bicep.

"How does your arm feel?" Shiro asked.

"Good," Keith mumbled, unable to fight the grin that spread across his face. In fact it felt great.

"He'll be alright, but I would suggest we keep him here tonight for observation," said Sam. "Tomorrow he can get settled onto the Atlas."

"I w'nna party," Keith slurred, propelling himself upright.

"Easy buddy," Shiro chuckled, catching him before he fell off the bed. "There's gonna be other parties. You should rest."

"I don't w'nna rest!" Keith whined.

"We could crash Allura and Lance's date," Pidge suggested. Keith giggled.

Hunk shook his head. "No, they'd kill us."

"I still think the party might be a bit too much for you right now. Anyone have other suggestions?" Shiro asked, looking at the others.

"Where's Krolia?" Keith asked, trying to stop the laughter still bubbling in his chest. He really liked how relaxed the medication was making him feel.

"She and Kolivan went to...um, visit your dad's grave. Remember?" Hunk replied.

"Oh. Yah."

"Do you want to join them?" Shiro asked. Keith shrugged. He was too...boneless...to make any decisions. All he knew was he wanted to be out of that room, and with his friends.

"Let's go to the party!" Pidge encouraged. "The three of us can keep him out of trouble."

Shiro looked like he wanted to say no, but one look at Keith and he relented.

"Fine. But we stick together!"