Mockingbirds Always Sing
Created and Written by:
BlueIV
Chapter 1
Face to Face with the Sky
Time and again, however well we know the landscape of love,
and the little church-yard with lamenting names,
and the frightfully silent ravine wherein all the others
end: time and again we go out two together,
under the old trees, lie down again and again
between the flowers, face to face with the sky.
--Rainer Maria Rilke
After a few minutes a nurse appears, holding the door open in wordless invitation. I enter the room reluctantly, knowing that these four walls contain inside it my worse nightmare. There are no windows. There is a clock on one wall, but otherwise, bare. The floor is linoleum, olive green and white, and pushed against the far wall is a gurney currently being used as a make-shift bed.
I see her. She doesn't look like she had just a few moments ago; before we entered the hospital. Yet she couldn't be anyone else. She is deathly still. I want to go to her, to grab her into a tight embrace, but my feet don't respond. Finally they listen and they drag, as though weighted down, toward the limp figure. She is so pretty and meticulous, even though the buzzing fluorescent fixture above casts its harsh light.
I turn as sobs and tears explode from my being. I'm shaking to my very core as I wrap my arms around my chest as a feeble attempt to keep my heart from shattering into pieces. I cry until there's nothing left. Despite this, I remain doubled over and heaving until I wonder if it's possible to turn inside out.
'Shizuru…'
The faceless nurses lead me somewhere and plant me in a chair. A nurse in a starched white uniform brings coffee, which sits on the table next to me untouched and growing cold. I'm faintly aware that they're asking questions but I can't decipher them properly so I remain—like my beloved wife—silent.
Then a thought enters unconditionally and I jerk my head upward suddenly.
My voice is harsh and husky as I ask, "Did the babies make it?"
Another blurry face stutters in confusion before exclaiming, "Y-yes, Mrs. Kuga. That was what we were trying to tell you. Your children are healthy and ready for you to see them." She pauses for a moment then adds, almost as an afterthought, "Afterwards, the doctor will come to see you to discuss about your wife's situation."
I just nod bluntly, a little relieved, and allow them to lead me toward my twin daughters. I had caught just a glimpse of them before the machines that crowded around Shizuru's bed started to scream wildly and doctors and nurses entered among the fray. Their frantic movements and sharp orders alerting me that something had gone terribly wrong.
I halted that train of thought and found myself in a room full of wailing newborns being boxed in by clear walls of plastic. Then I heard a distinct cry. Even before the nurse could point out which of the infants belonged to me, I knew by instinct that the two small figures located in the corner of the room were mine and Shizuru's. I hurried toward them and fresh tears sprang anew as my eyes took in the sight before me.
Even though they were twins, they were completely different. The one on the left had a shock of raven hair atop a heart-shaped face and crimson eyes that bore into my own. The other that lay directly beside the first was the owner of emerald eyes similar to mine and tawny hair; a shade darker than Shizuru's. They were a beautiful pair that was solely crafted by Shizuru and me.
I nimbly reached out toward my daughters; slightly afraid that they were so fragile that they could possibly break under my touch. I paused as a dainty fist rose and curled around my index finger. A bubbly laugh rose from the petite figure as my captured limb was lowered near rosy cheeks and quizzical eyes.
A small smile graced my lips as I leaned my body closer to them and more tiny fingers touched my chin tentively. Two pairs of large eyes widened in merriment and more cheerful babble erupted from their soft lips.
Kanade and Yukino
Shizuru always liked those names…
I was told that the doctor needed to speak with me so I reluctantly left little Kanade and Yukino to search for some answers. It didn't take long for me to be seated in a tiny office, across from a man with graying hair, tired eyes, and a trademark lab coat.
"Mrs. Kuga we have some unfortunate news," Dr. Kamei stopped briefly, taking in my reaction before he started to speak once again. "It is very rare that a pregnant woman falls into a coma shortly after childbirth. I'm sorry to inform you that considering your wife's situation, I'd say that there's an eighty percent chance that your wife will not recover from her present state and that's if she gets the best medical care. If not, that percentage rises even more."
"Be honest with me, do you think she'll make it?" I asked, my voice broke unintentionally.
"As long as she gets the best medical attention possible. Other than that, I can not say. But she's not completely gone. She's still alive as long as there's a machine giving her oxygen," he stated calmly as he rubbed his temples.
I gave a weak nod to let him know that I had acknowledged him and excused myself from the room.
For a split second I once again had a completed family. Until the Gods saw it wise to once again take something precious from me.
'Shizuru…please…wake up. Don't leave me alone anymore…please, I need you.'
I'm gonna go ahead and warn you; this story is pretty deep. The first chapter only scratches the surface. So, if you're gonna go all emo on me when you read this, please don't whine about it in reviews. Save us all the trouble and keep it too yourselves.
--BlueIV
