Epilogue

Pidge sat in his bed, his hands twisting the sheets they clutched. He was still weak and it wasn't good for him to be so tense so soon after his coma, but he refused to allow the nurse to give him a sedative. He needed to stay awake. He wanted to know what would happen to Keith.

His room had become the designated waiting area for the Voltron captain's friends. Allura insisted that she be taken there as well. Her eyes had teared up when the orderlies moved her from her bed to a stretcher, but not a single sound escaped her lips, not since her single heartwrenching scream.. They had set up an extra bed for her next to Pidge's, and that was where she was lying, a forgotten data pad in her hands.

Romelle sat in an armchair between their beds, a data pad in her hand as she kept track of what was happening in Castle Control. Nanny paced the room, a handkerchief clutched in her hands. She murmured prayers under her breath. Sven and Lance had left not too long ago for Castle Control. A battle was raging high above them, but no one in the room paid it any heed at that moment. All their thoughts were focused on their fallen commander.

Pidge looked up at the chromometer on the wall and saw that Keith had been in the OR for half an hour. They had cheered when Gorma had first gotten a weak pulse from Keith. Their cheers subsided quickly, though, as Gorma gravely warned them that this didn't mean Keith would pull through. In fact, the odds were not good; at best, he had barely a fifty-fifty chance of survival.

Allura's eyes moved from the data pad to the chronometer and then back again. Her mind was a whirl of activity and she didn't know where to start focusing all her thoughts. For once in her life, she felt overwhelmed. She squeezed her eyes shut and felt a growing ache in the middle of her forehead. She sighed loudly. Resigned, she put the data pad down and leaned her head against the pillow. The only infomation she had gleaned was that the Vehicle Voltron Force had been successful against the Doom Fleet, and predictably, the Doom Fleet had retreated as they were faced with a possibly damaging defeat. Coran had given the order to follow them out of the system and lessen their numbers still further. Arusians were not normally given to offensive tactics, but this time Niloc and his men had gone too far. It was time to send a message.

Lance and Sven were in Castle Control to pick up the pieces, but every five minutes or so, one or the other sent a message from asking if Keith was out of danger.

Not yet.

Hunk managed to slip away from the repair bay and he quickly made his way to the medwing. He entered Pidge's room breathless. At the sight of their grim faces, he knew they hadn't heard anything yet. He sat down at the foot of Pidge's bed and twidled his thumbs.

Minutes passed like days. But when Doctor Gorma finally came through the doors, they sat up, alert. However, the look on his face was not encouraging.

"He suffered some serious physical injuries, as well as major blood loss, but we were able to remedy those. Niloc was good with the knife and had Lance and Sven found Keith ten minutes later, he would have been lost. As it stands...that is still a possibility."

"What's happened?" Allura asked, her voice hoarse.

"His brain activity is normal, but he has not regained consciousness. I don't want to force him, but this is not a good sign," Gorma replied.

"Why hasn't he?" Hunk demanded.

"The trauma of his ordeal, I'd imagine. All I can tell you is we have to wait. He has to come out of this on his own."

"What can we do to help?" Romelle asked, her brow furrowed.

"Talk to him. Visit him as much as you can. He needs to know that he's safe and then maybe he'll wake up."

Allura sighed. It never ends.

For the next few days, Keith's room was heavy with traffic. Whenever any of them had a free moment, they would visit him and tell him about their day. Lance was a constant visitor, as was Sven. Allura and Pidge were almost always there because of their extended stay in the medwing. They were both given anti-grav chairs so they could get around more easily. They certainly made visiting Keith easier.

It was during one of Lance's visits that Keith began to thrash about and moan. Moving to his friend's side, Lance grabbed a flailing hand in his own. He stood by, unsure of what to do as Keith was caught in a nightmare that he could not escape.

He leaned down by Keith's ear and said, "You're safe now, Buddy. Wake up...you're safe."

He repeated the words like a mantra but Keith did not awaken. But Lance did hear him murmur one word:

Father.

The Legend Will Continue…