The Long Road: Chapter 2

[lothinielflowermaiden]

Author's notes and warning: The warnings for the previous chapter still apply. Also, this chapter will contain a couple mentions of eating disorders. And, I have one note before started this chapter. The most obvious explanation for some things that will happen in the next few chapters, might not be the right one.

 

Chapter Two

"Noregur!" Iceland hadn't been close enough to stop Norway from falling. He quickly ran over and knelt down beside his brother. Tentatively, he reached out and touched Norway's shoulder. Iceland became even more worried when his brother did not respond. Norway's eyes were closed, and he wasn't moving. Thankfully, he was still breathing, and in fact his breathing was more even than it had been before he passed out.

For the first few moments, Iceland merely knelt there by his brother's side. He had no idea what to do, and he wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, either. "Bróðir,1" he whispered after a few moments. "Bróðir, please wake up." There was no response from Norway. Iceland realized then that he needed to call for help. That was the only thing he could do for his brother now.

He got up and went to get his cellphone. He had the numbers for the rest of the family on speed-dial, and he quickly pressed in the number for Finland's cellphone. He knew that Sweden and Finland were in a room just down the hall, and they were the only ones he could think to call. They were more likely to be able to help than Denmark was. And that was assuming that Denmark hadn't gone out drinking with several other nations, as he often did after world meetings.

As he waited for the call to connect, Iceland glanced back towards Norway to see that there had been no change in his condition.

The phone rang several times, before the call was answered. He hadn't thought about how late it was until the phone was picked up.

"Islanti, why are you calling so late? Did something happen?"

"I don't know what happened. He had a bad dream, I think, and when he woke up, he had another incident like the one at the meeting. I tried to talk to him, but he didn't act like he heard me. He was trying to leave the room, and he just collapsed. He won't respond, and he's not moving or anything." As he was recounting all this, Iceland had returned to his brother's side.

"Is he breathing?"

"Yes, better than he was before he collapsed."

Iceland could hear Sweden and Finland talking to each other on the end of the phone line. After a few moments, Finland said, "We'll be over soon. It's probably nothing too serious, though. If Norja wakes up before we get there, don't let him get up, and try to keep him calm."

Once he had hung up the phone, Iceland returned to his brother's side, just in time to see Norway open his eyes. He seemed a little disoriented, but there was no sign of his earlier panic.

Iceland made no move to touch his brother, remembering what had happened before. "Noregur?" he said, somewhat tentatively. He was a little afraid of frightening his brother. And he could not get rid of the thought that his existence was a constant reminder of what Scandia had done to Norway. Even though the letter had said otherwise, he still wondered sometimes.

"What happened?" Norway made no attempt to get up, and he seemed weak. He wasn't as weak as he had been that first day, but it could now be clearly seen that he wasn't doing as well as he had been trying to make the others think he was.

Iceland was trying to decide to best way to answer that question, when he heard a knock on the door. He got up and went to answer the door, not bothering to check and see who it was, as he already knew.

"He just woke up," Iceland told Sweden and Finland as he opened the door for them.

"That's a good sign." Finland entered the room and went to kneel down beside Norway. Sweden and Iceland stayed near the door, as they were both aware that Finland was currently the only one in the family who seemed to have any idea how to help Norway. "How are you feeling, Norja?" Finland asked, once he was kneeling by the other man.

At first it seemed like Norway wasn't going to reply, but after a few moments he said, "I'm all right. I don't remember what happened, though."

"What do you remember?"

". . . The meeting." It had taken him a few moments to answer.

"That was several hours ago," Finland said. "Are you sure you can't remember anything after that?"

Once again, a few moments passed before Norway responded. "No. What happened?" he asked, again. Despite his claim that he was alright, he had made no attempt to get up. That in itself was cause for worry, due to Norway's determination to never show any weakness.

Finland looked over towards Iceland, who was apparently the only one who really knew the answer to that question. And there was at least part of what had happened that Iceland had no intention of mentioning. As long as Norway did not remember it, there was no need to bring it up. Unlike the others, Iceland did not realize that the memory loss was a bad sign. He did, however, finally answer his brother's question, with on omission. "You had a nightmare, and were trying to leave the room, when you collapsed."

"Are you sure you're all right, Norja?" Finland asked. He knew it was unlikely that Norway would admit to not being all right, but he had to at least ask. "Do you feel sore anywhere?"

For a minute, it seemed like Norway wouldn't answer. Then, at last, he said, "My head hurts a little."

The others suspected it might be more than a little, since he had actually admitted it. Plus, a headache and the lack of memory could be signs of a hidden injury. They knew then that it was time to do what they had been hoping to avoid. None of them voiced that thought yet, though.

"Do you think you can sit up?" Finland asked.

A few moments later, Norway was sitting up, although Finland was still supporting him. For several minutes they sat like that; then Finland motioned for Sweden to come join them.

"Norja, do you feel ready to try to stand?" They needed to get him back to the bed at least. And they still needed to figure out whether or not he was injured.

"I think so," Norway said after a few moments. He had not even managed to sit up without being supported yet, though, so it was somewhat doubtful that he would be able to stand. But the others were clearly prepared to help him. And it turned out to be a good thing that they had been prepared. As soon as Norway was standing, another wave of lightheadness swept over him, and he almost fell again. This time, though, they were able to prevent him from falling, and Sweden carried him over to the bed.

Iceland had stayed near the door the whole time. He was feeling guilty about not having been able to prevent Norway from falling earlier, and he had not wanted to make things worse for his brother. So, he had kept his distance.

For a couple of minutes, no one said anything. Three of them, at least, were pretty much thinking the same thing, but no one seemed ready to voice those thoughts. At last, Finland was the one who said what they had all been thinking. "I think we need to take Norja to a hospital. His condition is getting too serious for us to be able to help him, and I'm worried that he might be injured." That was what most of the family had realized after the incident at the meeting, but none of them had wanted to be the one to say it.

Norway was lying on the bed where he had been placed. He had made no attempt to move, and his eyes were closed again. Seeing him like that, the others were struck by how frail he looked. And they realized that, even with the risks it entailed, they had no other choice. They had to make sure that Norway got professional help, or they might lose him.

---

A little over an hour later, they were at the hospital. Norway had been taken back to be examined, and the others were left out in the waiting room to wait for news on his condition. They had spent the first half hour of the wait trying to get hold of Denmark. Despite the amount of time it took them to get hold of Denmark, it did not take him long to arrive after being informed of the situation.

"Where's Norge?" Denmark asked, as soon as he joined them in the waiting room.

"Haldor is still being examined. No one has told us anything yet," Finland answered. He emphasized Norway's human name as a reminder that they were in public, and needed to be using human names.

"How did he get hurt?"

"We think he hit his head on the floor when he fainted."

Before they could say anything more, a doctor entered the room. "Are you the ones waiting for news on Haldor? We're going to admit him. He is severely malnourished, and exhausted. He also has a concussion. We want to keep him under observation for a couple of days, and make sure his condition doesn't worsen."

They had known that Norway's condition wasn't good, but hearing everything listed like that really drove the point home. And they regretted not having gotten him real help sooner.

The doctor was still talking. "After we have gotten him settled in a room, you can go up and see him. In the meantime, I would like to ask you some questions about his condition." He led them to another room where they could talk privately before he began his questioning.

"When we examined Haldor, we couldn't find a medical cause for the amount of weight he has lost, and we don't have any information about his medical history. Is there any chance he could have an eating disorder?"

"No, there isn't," Denmark answered, without even taking time to think about it. "We would know if he was doing something like that to himself." Nevermind that none of them had ever the slightest idea of what Scandia was doing to Norway. And of course none of them knew what may have happened during the five months Norway was missing.

"Sometimes the family is the last to notice. Do you know if he has any history of that kind of behavior at all?"

For a few moments, no one spoke. The rest of the family was trying to remember if Norway had ever shown signs of anything like that before. After a few moments of thinking, they realized that none of them could say for sure. Norway had always been careful to keep at least some distance from the rest of the family, especially since becoming independent, so they had no idea what other secrets he may have been hiding. They certainly didn't want to believe that Norway would do something like that himself, but they were beginning to realize just how little they had really known about him.

The doctor was the one who broke the silence. "Considering the fact that you can't give a definite answer as to whether he has a history of that behavior, and given how underweight he is right now, he should probably be evaluated for an eating disorder. In fact, I would recommend that he be referred to a mental health professional, as his physical problems seem to be the result of an underlying psychological issue. Has he been through anything traumatic recently, that any of you know about?"

Once again, there was silence for a few moments. Obviously the family knew the answer to that question, but they did not know how to answer it, without giving away information that could not be revealed. And even almost six months later, the knowledge was still too fresh for them to really feel ready to tell a stranger about it.

"We just found out a few months ago, that he was abused by his father," Finland answered. "And, there were a few incidents that happened about six months ago, when his father was visiting. He was allowing it that time, in an attempt to protect his younger brother, Eirik." Obviously, there was more to the story than that, but that much was at least the basic information that the doctor might need to help Norway.

The doctor was silent a few moments before speaking again. "Based on that, I would say that you definitely need to see that he gets psychological help. Medically there is very little we can do for him. We can attempt to treat the malnutrition, so that he is in less danger, and we do want to monitor him because of the concussion. However, unless he gets help dealing with the trauma, his condition will probably keep getting worse."

That was pretty much what they had been beginning to suspect, but now that it was confirmed they were left with one big question. How could they get Norway to admit that he needed help?

---

It was about another fifteen minutes before they were shown to Norway's room. Once again, they were struck by how frail he looked. There was an IV going into his hand, probably as a way of treating the malnutrition he was suffering from. At first they thought he was asleep, but as they entered the room, he opened his eyes, and turned his head towards them. It still seemed as though he wasn't quite focusing on them. He did seem calmer than he had been earlier, at least.

None of the others went too near to the bed, out of fear of bringing back the earlier panic. They didn't know yet what the attacks were triggered by, and they did not want to set one off. For several moments, there was silence, as no one was quite sure how to break it.

"I remember what happened after the meeting," Norway said, at last. He turned away from them again.

That should have been cause for relief, but something about how Norway was acting made the others think that there was more to the situation then they knew. If nothing else, though, they were glad that his memory seemed to be okay after all.

After a few moments had passed in a rather uncomfortable silence, Norway turned his head to face them again, and his eyes sought out Iceland, who was standing near the door. "Island, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." He closed his eyes, but did not turn away.

This time, the silence was even more uncomfortable. Denmark, Sweden, and Finland were all trying to figure out what Norway was talking about. Iceland did not look away from his brother, but he said nothing. He did not think he could in front of the rest of the family, and he was still afraid that any action he took might make things worse. Although he wanted to assure Norway that there was nothing to apologize for, he could not find the words with which to do so. At last, he knew he needed to do something, and so he finally approached the bed, and took hold of his brother's hand. "Bróðir, there is nothing you need to apologize for."

Norway did not open his eyes, and instead, he turned away from them again. He gave no acknowledgment that he never knew his hand was being held, and made no move to return the gesture. "They were right to take you away from me. I am no different than him. Now, go away before it happens again."

Iceland did not let go of his brother's hand. "Noregur . . ." He couldn't think of what to say, though, and so, all he was able to say was his brother's name. There was no response from Norway. His eyes were closed, and he was still facing away from them. The silence in the room was so heavy that it could almost be felt.

Finland was the one who broke the silence. "We'll let you get some rest, Norja." He could tell that Norway didn't really want them there at the moment.

And so, the family went out into the hall, leaving Norway alone in the room. Sweden and Finland went back to the hotel then. They needed to see about making arrangements to extend their stay, and arrange for Sealand to be looked after until they got home. They were able to get Iceland to go with them, although it had been no easy task.

Denmark was the only member of the family to stay behind at the hospital, as he refused to leave Norway. He was angry at himself not having protected Norway, and the fact that Scandia was still going unpunished didn't help. Later, during the small hours of the morning, as he sat by Norway's bedside, Denmark vowed to himself that he would do anything he could to protect Norway from being hurt like that ever again. He would do everything possible to keep Norway safe.

---

Denmark had barely left Norway's bedside since taking up a station there. Norway had slept most of the time, although someone came in to wake him every couple hours, in order to make sure he was not developing complications from the concussion. However, as soon as the check was complete, he would go right back to sleep.

Towards midmorning, Norway's sleep grew more restless. His eyes were moving rapidly behind his closed eyelids, and every so often, he let out a small cry. It was obvious that he was dreaming about something unpleasant.

When the nightmare had started, Denmark had taken hold of Norway's hand, and with his other hand, he began to run his fingers through Norway's hair, brushing the loose fringe back from his face, in an attempt to soothe him. It seemed to make no difference, and if anything, Norway grew increasingly distressed.

Several minutes after the start of the nightmare, Norway awoke. He looked around at his surroundings with no sign of familiarity. He was breathing rapidly again.

Remembering what had happened earlier, Denmark made sure not to touch Norway. He had gotten a lecture from the rest of the family for having made Norway's first panic attack worse. "Nor, calm down. There's nothing to be afraid of here."

Norway gave no sign of having heard him, and he was still breathing far too rapidly. He did not seem to really be aware of his surroundings at that moment.

Thankfully, a nurse entered the room shortly after that. She immediately realized what the situation was, and approached the bed. It took her a couple moments, but she was able to get Norway to calm down. When the attack had passed, she quickly left the room in search of a doctor.

This attack, the third in two days, had drained what little strength Norway had. He was even paler than usual, and his eyes were almost closed. However, he seemed to be trying to keep from falling asleep again.

Denmark had been forced to leave his station by Norway's bedside while the nurse was in the room, but now he returned and sat down again.

So far, Norway had given no sign that he even knew Denmark was there, but there was nothing unusual about that. Now, though, Norway turned his head enough so that it was clear that he was looking at Denmark. When he spoke his voice was barely more than a whisper. "Anko, don't let me fall asleep again. That's when he comes." He used the old nickname that he had called Denmark by when they were younger.

Denmark took hold of Norway's hand again. He could tell that the younger man was frightened of something, but he had no idea what. "When who comes, Nor?"

"Far2."

Denmark regretted not having killed Scandia when he had the chance. He hated seeing Norway like this. "He can't hurt you anymore." That was all he could think of to say.

Whatever response Norway might have made to that went unsaid as a doctor entered the room. This doctor was not the same one they had spoken to the night before, as the shifts had changed since then. He approached the bed, and briefly evaluated Norway's condition; then he turned to Denmark. "Sir, I need you to leave the room so I can examine him."

Denmark was still waiting out in the hall when the rest of the family returned to the hospital. They could tell immediately that something was wrong. However, before they could say anything, the doctor came out into the hallway.

"He's very weak, but there don't seem to be any complications from the attack. Try to keep him as calm as you can, though. These attacks are using up strength that he cannot afford to do without." After giving that brief summary, he walked away down the hall, without giving them time to ask any questions.

They were surprised and dismayed to hear that Norway had had another attack. And when they saw how much weaker he was, they were even more dismayed.

All through the rest of that day and night, they took turns sitting with Norway. Although they kept a close eye on him, they saw no great cause for concern beyond his lingering weakness, and the nightmare did not recur.

---

On the morning of the second day, the doctor said that Norway was well enough to leave the hospital. He had not developed any complications from the concussion, and he was sleeping and eating okay.

The other Nordics weren't completely convinced that Norway was recovering. They had noticed that he was afraid to sleep, and he was still so weak. When they mentioned these concerns to the doctor, though, he quickly dismissed them.

"Haldor should be fine, as long as he rests. As for his fear of sleeping, there is no basis to it, and you must not encourage it. The combination of lack of sleep and PTSD is making him paranoid, so you must make sure he sleeps. I am going to prescribe something that will help him sleep, and that might help with the panic attacks, if he has anymore. And if his condition worsens, you should consider placing him under the care of a mental health professional." Having said what he felt was necessary, he did not even given them a chance to reply, or even to ask any more questions they might have had.

---

Translations:

1 Brother - Icelandic

2 Father - Norwegian