The Waiting Place… for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
~Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go
Shinichi Kudo was waiting for an antidote. He was waiting to get his real body back. He was waiting for a lead on the Crow Syndicate. He was waiting. For a lot. He was waiting for things that were beyond his control, and he found himself in the Waiting Place. The proverbial place where time stands still and one can only twiddle their thumbs until something happens.
Yet Shinichi Kudo was not the kind of person to sit and wait. To sit back and have his parents solve his problems while he waits for them to find a solution. He doesn't wait for a solution to come to him.
Shinichi Kudo was a man of action. A man with plans and brains and strength. He was a man who would rather solve a murder himself, than wait for the police to solve it. He was a man who would do his best to find his own lead, rather than expecting one to fall in his lap. The one who would take down a criminal organization on his own if it meant he no longer had to wait for a solution.
Shinichi Kudo was impatient. He did not have time to wait. He did not have time to wait for an elevator if he could take the stairs. He did not have time to wait for a cab if he could run there. He did not have time to hide from his tormentors if he could fight them. And fight he would. So after he could tell Ran he loved her.
Ran Mouri was waiting for someone. She was waiting for her child her friend. She was waiting for her love. She was waiting for his safety and return. She was waiting. For a long time. She was waiting for something that she knew she couldn't control, and she found herself in the Waiting Place. The imaginary place where a minute seems life forever and you can only worry until you find an answer.
But Ran Mouri was not the kind of person to complain about inaction. She was a woman with strength and love and compassion. She would rather wait than miss her chance. She would rather wait for something great than settle for less. She would hold on to what she has, instead of taking the easy option. She was the one who knew how precious her love was and would trust that everything would work out okay.
Ran Mouri was patient. She knew that good things take time, so she would let things take their course. She knew that she would not love her childhood friend less if he took longer to come home. If "absence makes the heart grow fonder" she knew that the temporary separation between them would make them closer. And she would use the time, so as not to "wait" herself out. She would spend her time away from him thinking of how badly she'd hurt him when he came back. How black and blue she'd make his body if he came back injured. And that she would. After she told him she loved him.