Okay guys, sorry for having taken down the story just like that, but I was motivated by a couple of things~ Anyway, if you've found the story again, then congratulations! I'm going to upload all the chapters as soon as possible, along with chapter 13 which is long due.
Miracle and all, the doctors didn't let Kouichi out of their sight for the following days and was constantly monitored. Even Tomoko —who by another miracle hadn't seen Kouji yet in one of his attempts to get pass the security— was not allowed to see him that much. The doctors were too busy checking him to be sure that everything was fine. And, well, if by "fine" one meant having the classical symptoms of a concussion, yes, Kouichi was completely fine. Kouji frowned when the nurse explained that to him. No, that was not "fine". But at least he was glad that his brother was alive.
The three days that Kouichi had spent in the hospital were rough. Headaches, dizziness, vomiting, light sensitivity and slightly blurred vision were just the reason he wasn't allowed to move that much, and when he had to, he would be taken in a wheelchair. Especially for long trips, like the one he had to make so that the doctors could realize a CT scan. They explained to him that they would have done it after he arrived, but that his heart had already stopped by then and their priority in that moment was to save his life. Kouichi sighed when they were telling him this; it wasn't because he didn't appreciate the doctors' efforts, but they weren't the ones who had saved him. And he wanted to see the ones responsible for that more than anything.
By the time he snapped out of his thoughts, he realized that he was already in the middle of the scan process. He just laid there, cursing the after effects of his accident.
His days in the hospital were boring, he thought. Not only was he feeling bad because of the symptoms that were affecting him, but he wasn't allowed to do anything. Not even reading. He had already missed the first days of school, and apparently he was going to miss at least two weeks more. And he couldn't even have a normal conversation because he wasn't able to talk correctly, and that was without counting his shorter attention span and difficulty to concentrate. All he could do was getting lost in his short periods of thoughts, interrupted by any of his symptoms.
At least he could sleep. Of course, he had to wake up one or two times because of the nausea, but the rest of the night was peaceful.
He hadn't been able to see Kouji since the day he had arrived to the hospital, or the friends he had met in the Digital World. And his mother, he had only seen her a couple of times. Once again he was feeling lonely, but not as much as in the past. He just missed them, the people he was close with.
Kouji was getting anxious. He wanted to see his brother. No, he needed to see him. But now he wasn't allowed near Kouichi's room, because of how he had run pass the security and straight to the emergency room where the doctors were trying to bring his brother back to life.
"It's actually incredible how they still let you near the hospital." Takuya teased him, in an attempt to lighten the mood a little. Kouji thanked him for the try —mentally—, but his face showed that he wasn't amused by it. Apparently, the rest of the team shared his thoughts.
Takuya immediately caught on this and stopped trying. Even if they weren't in the Digital World anymore, he wanted to keep their spirits high; at least for Kouichi's sake. He knew that the elder twin didn't want any of them to get worried about him, and Takuya certainly believed that he was going to be okay.
"I wonder if he's bored, being alone there." Junpei mused. In the few conversations he had had with Kouichi he had discovered that the boy liked to read when he had time. He even imagined that Kouichi had a huge collection of books. So, when the nurse —that had kindly taken them apart to update them on the condition of their friend— had told them that he wasn't able to read or talk, he presumed that the days in the hospital would be long and boring for him.
"But maybe the doctors and nurses talk with him." Tomoki said, unconsciously ignoring the fact that Kouichi couldn't talk to favor a nicer option. Takuya patted him gently on the back. "Maybe, but he can't really hold a conversation, Tomoki." He said with a small smile. "Oh, right." The boy replied, sounding a bit defeated.
Izumi took the chance to say something herself. "I'm more concerned about his mother, though. We know Kouichi will be fine, but his mother is probably really worried about him." Izumi looked at Kouji, who was supporting his elbows on his knees, looking down.
Kouji himself was busy with his own thoughts. He could feel how bad his brother felt physically. He could feel than instead of being worried for himself, he was worried about his mother. He sighed, and got a little startled when he felt Takuya's hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry. He's going to be fine." Kouji looked at Takuya. It was one of those moments when he wasn't being a hot-headed guy. It was moments like these were he showed how a good friend Takuya was, and Kouji was glad to have friends in a moment like this… not that he would admit it aloud.
"Thank you, Takuya." He finally said with a smile, and looked at the others. "Thank you, guys."
Tomoko was working, but almost automatically. Her mind was set on her son's well being, and everyone around her could notice that, included her boss. But since she was still doing her work, he wasn't about to scold her. And he wasn't cold-hearted either; he had a son himself, and he would be worried if something had happened to him. And to relieve the poor woman, he told her to take a day off once her son got out of the hospital so that she could organize herself. Unfortunately, he couldn't give her more than that, since she had already taken some days off when her mother had died, and there was a lot of work to do those days. He pitied the poor woman; divorced, sick, raising a son by herself and the recent loss of her mother and the accident of her son. And yet she remained strong.
Tomoko was immensely grateful with her boss for that. Even if it was only a day, she was glad. She would use it to make sure Kouichi was going to be fine when he was left alone in the house while she was at work.
She sighed. She wished that she had someone to take care of her son while she was away. In times like this, she thought what it would be like if she had never divorced Kousei. Sure, she was a practical woman and knew that daydreaming would do nothing for her situation, but she couldn't help it. Maybe she would be able to take a few days off from work. Maybe her younger son, Kouji, would help his brother.
Maybe the accident would have never happened.
Tomoko shook her head. Stop with the daydreams, woman. She returned to work, already planning out what she would do to make her son comfortable.
The last day of his imprisonment —I mean, hospitalization, Kouichi was relieved. He still couldn't talk that well, but at least his vision had improved. But he wasn't allowed to read yet. Damn the symptoms.
He smiled when he saw his mother again. He wasn't able to greet her, but when she approached him, he hugged her as tightly as he could. She returned the hug happily and caressed her son's face.
"Kouichi, I'm glad you're coming home now..." She said. Kouichi just smiled widely at her, not wanting to go through the embarrassment of trying to say something.
Tomoko smiled back at him and then handed him the clothes she had brought for him, a simple T-shirt and a pair of jeans. "I'll go to fill some forms while you change, but don't walk on your own, okay?" Kouichi nodded, saying he understood. After a final smile from her, she left the room and followed the nurse that had accompanied her.
Kouichi somehow managed to put on his clothes by himself without having to stand up. He didn't want to worry his mother more than she already was, and for once he decided to not be stubborn. And in case he had decided to be, there was a nurse there, who was attending the patient in the bed next to him. It was a kid too, but he had been brought there that morning, so they didn't have much time to know each other. Not that they could anyway, because of Kouichi's slurred talking and the tube going down the other boy's throat. They had communicated mainly through expressions. It was a bit difficult, but somehow they understood.
When he had finished dressing, the nurse drew the curtain that divided the room in two aside, so that Kouichi could say good bye to his new friend. She helped him get on a chair that was beside the boy's bed, and with the help of the nurse they could finally "talk". She had helped them to know each other's names, so Kouichi knew that the boy's name was Shou. Writing on a notebook, Kouichi wrote a note.
It was nice to meet you, Shou. I'm leaving today, but I know you'll be able to go home soon as well. Be strong.
Kouichi handed the notebook to the boy. He could have sworn that there was a tear in his eye. Smiling, Shou started writing something as well. When he was finished, he gave the notebook to Kouichi.
Thank you, Kouichi. It was a short time, but I'm glad that I could meet you. Be happy from now on, and be brave. Don't worry about me; I'll fly home today.
Kouichi looked at Shou, shocked and confused. In the boy's face there was just a smile. Kouichi looked at the nurse for an answer, but she pretended to be busy with other things, to give the boys space. He looked back at Shou, who was now laying back on the bed.
Kouichi, even with the headache that had been bothering him the last minutes, started to connect the dots: Shou didn't have any hair, he seemed weak and dangerously thin, and what was that damned tube for? Kouichi looked again at the nurse, who didn't say anything, but had a sad expression. He looked at Shou again, who was still smiling. After a moment, he closed his eyes slowly. Kouichi tried to wake him up by shaking his arm; the heart monitor told him that he was still alive, and he could hear him breathing through the tube. But he didn't wake up.
The nurse put a hand on Kouichi's shoulder, making him look at her.
"It's time to go, Kimura-kun. His parents will arrive any minute now." She said, helping him off the chair and onto the wheelchair. Kouichi looked at Shou for a last time. Farewell, friend.
The nurse —the same one who had told Kouji how was Kouichi doing and who had slipped the elder twin's address and phone number to him— noticed Kouichi's sadness about the fate of the boy. "You helped him, Kimura-kun. He had been depressed the last days, and this morning, when we moved him to the room, is the happiest I have seen him."
The words of the nurse helped him a little. Knowing that he had made someone's last hours of life a bit happier certainly helped with his own depression.
Kouji was impatient. Today was the day Kouichi would finally go home, and he wouldn't be able to actually talk to him. He had gone every day after school to hear some news about him from the nice nurse, and knew that his mother would take him home and spend all the day with him. He was planning on hiding behind some bushes and hope Kouichi would notice him so he could at least wave at him.
He looked through the glass door of the hospital, and could see his mother and a friend of hers in the reception, probably filling out some forms. And then his brother finally appeared, sitting on a wheelchair pushed by the nice nurse.
Kouji shook his head with a smile. He was actually calling her "the nice nurse" in his head.
It was time to hide. Kouichi, the nurse, his mother and her friend were making their way to the friend's car. Apparently she would give his brother and their mother a ride home. Just before they entered the car, the nurse started listing a few things that would help Tomoko take care of her son. Kouji found it strange, normally that kind of directions would be given before someone left the hospital. But then he realized that she was doing it so that he could greet his brother, who had already spotted him and was grinning. Kouji felt a little embarrassed for getting distracted, so he waved at his brother with a shy smile. Kouichi waved back, discreetly, and then the women proceeded to help him into the car.
Kouji waited until they had left to come out of his hiding place, and walked towards the nurse who was still in the parking lot. "Thank you for all the help with my brother, Fujibayashi-san." He said, bowing in gratitude.
The nurse just smiled. "Don't worry, Minamoto-kun. I'm glad to have helped you and Kimura-kun." She said, and then looked back at the hospital. "I have to go back to work, take care… and I hope you two can work something out."
With that, the nurse left. Kouji stood in the parking lot for a few more minutes before going back to his house.