Afraid
Surprisingly, Johnny was the first to react. He tried to get up and cried after his friend: "Robert! Wait!" Olivers hands pushed him back again rather quickly. "Stay down!", he ordered and looked at Enrico, "You will stay here. Make sure he gets some rest. I will go after our captain." With that he left the room and left the blonde and the injured teammate alone in an awkward silence.
"Sorry", Enrico was the first to brake it, "I wanted to help." He came to the bed and sat down on a chair on the right side. Frustrated, he ran one hand through his hair, ruffling it in the process. "I thought...Well, it was pretty obvious that Robert liked you. But..I dunno...he never said anything. I was not able to stand by and watch any longer. I know that you two will give me a stern lecture for that right now but I am willing to take it if it means any good." He shrugged his shoulders. Johnny looked at him with new eyes. It was like a mask had slipped from the italians face and he was seeing the real Enrico now. A man which can be serious and perceptive. And with a good heart, not that he was not aware of this before this second. He always knew Enrico was a good guy. "Nice", he commented ironically, "Not that I don't appreciate your concern about my love life, I'd rather have you overlook it from now on." His blond friend nodded. "I'm not that interested to know about anything specific anyway", he joked, earning a soft snort from Johnny. He knew it was equal to a laugh. "Now rest", he ordered, "Or I will get it from Oliver, too."
Johnny obeyed without any complaint and closed his eyes. He was sure leaving it to Oliver was a good thing.
Down in the hall, Oliver finally caught an arm of Robert. "Wait!", he panted, "I won't say it anymore." And thankfully, the teamcaptain stayed still. "Why did you run away?", he questioned the german. Silence. "Robert!" He shook his friend. Again, only silence. Frustrated, he threw his arms up in the air and blew air through his lips. "I don't understand you at all! Johnny didn't scream at you, right? He didn't tell you that you're friendhip is over or stuff like this? So, why do you flee?!"
"Because I'm scared", was the low answer, "I don't know what to do." He turned around, facing Oliver fully with a look of sheer fear and panik in his eyes. "What should I do?", he said nervously, "If I take the risk...what if it doesn't work out between us two? What about the team then?" He looked away and was clearly nervous. "And I'm...not one to give into it. I...if I come any closer to Johnny, emotionalyy, and if I loose him..." He turned silent again and sighed. After a minute in which Oliver waited patiently, he sucked in some air.
"If I loose him, I don't know if I could survive it", he admitted almost in a whisper. Oliver stared. For a couple of minutes he was unsure how to start.
"I understand how you feel", he finally said, "But...don't you think some things are worth the risk? Just think about all the good sides." Robert did not turn around to him again. "Robert", he said again, "You can't control everything in your life. People you care about will come and go." That struck a cord in the german. "I know. Please, leave this to me, okay?"
"Leave what to you?", asked a new voice. Robert turned around. "Mrs. McGregor", he said in a subdued tone.
