Work Text:
"Surgery"
Shiro had his head buried in his hands. He couldn't believe he had to make the call. When the Paladins crashed back to Earth after launching the Komar mech into space, the Garrison rushed to rescue the heros of Earth. All of the Paladins had varying degrees of injuries with Keith being the most severely injured to the point of needing life saving surgery. With Keith listed as an orphan on Earth and Shiro as his mentor, the decision was up to Shiro. Shiro didn't feel that he was the right person to make the call, but Krolia wasn't there, and she trusted him to take care of her son.
%%%
Keith felt like he was floating. He was getting glimpses of things that didn't feel right. There were doors that opened in front of him, lights that flew overhead, voices that sounded far away and too close at the same time, and then nothing as his eyes closed again.
When Keith once again came to, he wasn't alone. His mom was sitting on his bed next to his legs, and Kolivan was sitting in a chair near the window. However, it was neither of them that spoke first. There was someone to Keith's right that sounded stressed. "Keith! I'm so glad you're all right."
Keith tiredly turned his head and saw Shiro sitting by his head. "Shiro, hi. Wh-what happened?"
Shiro carefully grabbed Keith's hand that didn't have an IV stuck into it. "I'm sorry, Keith. I know you don't like it, but it was the only way to save your life."
"What are you saying, Shiro?"
"You needed surgery to save your life."
Keith froze. He never liked the idea of having someone cutting into him like he was some kind of experiment. "Why...why would you agree to that?"
"Because I asked him to take care of you."
Keith turned his head to look at his mom. "But, Mama-"
"Shh, kit. Listen, I'm glad he made that call. I don't know if I could handle arriving here only to hear another love of my life wasn't alive anymore."
Tears leaped to Keith's eyes. He hadn't thought how his death would have affected others. He wasn't used to having others that would miss him if he were to die. Krolia stood up and neared his head. He locked eyes with her and whined softly. She gently nuzzled his head and rumbled. He wanted her to pick him up and hold him. He had been separated from her for too long and missed having that closeness.
Krolia carefully scooped up Keith and settled him on her lap. He whimpered as he settled on her lap again. After a minute, he sighed and cuddled up against her. Krolia's hands hovered over her kit's body. She locked eyes with Shiro and asked, "What did they need to do to save my kit?"
"He had some internal bleeding in his abdomen that they had to stop and a concussion."
Keith whimpered a little at what was done to him. He relaxed a bit as he felt his mom wrap her arms around his chest and groom his hair. He was glad his mom was there. As long as she was there for him, he felt like he could handle this.
Fin