Disclaimer: I do not own any portion of Graviation or any of the wonderful characters contained therein. (How lucky is Maki Murakami?)
Crash
The officer rapped firmly on the door, belying his hesitancy. He hated these calls more than anything.
There were some shuffling sounds behind the door. After a moment, the door opened, revealing a tall, light-haired man. He was shirtless and slightly sweaty. He looks like that writer guy my wife likes, he thought.
"Yes?" the man asked gruffly.
The officer cleared his throat. "Um, I'm looking for a Mr. Shindou."
The tall man turned to someone inside the apartment. "There's a cop here looking for you."
"A cop?" came a muffled voice from inside.
The officer heard the soft rustling of fabric and the sound of a zipper. A smaller man appeared in the doorway. He was also shirtless and slightly out of breath. This face he recognized as a singer his kids listened to. He vaguely remembered hearing something about these two being lovers. The thought made him uncomfortable, though he tried to hide it. The narrowing of the tall man's eyes told him that he'd failed. "Mr. Shindou?" he asked
"Yes. What's this about?"
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but earlier this evening your parents and your sister were involved in a traffic accident."
The boy paled. "What? What happened? Are they all right?"
"I'm afraid I don't know much. They were hit head-on by a drunk driver. They were taken to the ER. I don't know what their condition is."
The boy began to tremble. "Oh my god! What am I going to do?"
The taller man grabbed him by the shoulders. "Shuichi!" he snapped, cutting off his lover's hysterics before they began. "You're going to calm down. Then we're going to get dressed, and go to go to the hospital to find out what's going on."
A few tears rolled down the boy's cheeks, and he buried his face in the other man's chest. Yuki wrapped one arm around Shindou. He turned to look at the officer. "Thank you, officer," he said, closing the door with his free hand.
Poor kid, the officer thought.
–
Twenty minutes later, Shuichi and Eiri were wending their way into the hospital through a dense wall of reporters and TV cameras. How the hell did they get here so fast? Shuichi thought irritably. He didn't bother to acknowledge their inane questions as he and Eiri pushed their way through.
Shuichi nearly sagged with relief when he saw his sister, Maiko, sitting in a plastic chair in the hallway. Her left arm was heavily wrapped and resting in a sling, and she had bandages on her face, but otherwise appeared to be fine.
"Maiko!" he cried.
She looked up at the sound of his voice. "Shuichi!" She rose from her seat and ran to him.
He met her halfway, catching her in a tight embrace. "Are you OK?" he asked when he released her.
"Some cuts and bruises, and I broke my arm. Otherwise I'm fine."
"What about Mom and Dad?"
"I don't know!" she wailed. "They won't tell me anything."
That can't be good, Shuichi thought.
"Then let's go find out," Eiri said quietly from behind him. "Hello, Miss Maiko," he said politely.
"Hello, Mr. Yuki."
Eiri led them to the nurses' station. Shuichi approached hesitantly. "Excuse me," he said to the woman behind the desk.
"Yes?"
"My name is Shuichi Shindou. May parents were brought in earlier. Could you please tell me where they are?"
She turned to her computer. "It looks like they've been taken to surgery."
"Surgery! What for?"
"I'm sorry, I don't have that information. If you like, you can go up to the waiting room. I'll call up and let the doctors know that you're here. They'll be able to tell you more."
"Thank you," he said quietly after obtaining directions. He related what the nurse had told him as they rode in the elevator.
"So we still don't know anything," Maiko said.
Shuichi sighed. "Yeah."
"Hopefully these doctors work fast," Eiri said flatly.
Shuichi smiled inwardly in spite of the grim situation. After nearly two years with his taciturn lover, he knew that his expressionless tone meant that he was worried too—if only for Shuichi's sake. Shuichi took Eiri's hand. Even though Eiri was normally reluctant to show affection publicly, he didn't pull away.
Two hours and countless cups of vending-machine coffee later, someone finally came into the waiting area. "Mr. Shindou? Miss Shindou?"
Shuichi looked up to see a man around thirty years old wearing scrubs and a lab coat.
All three of them stood.
"I'm Dr. Ryoji Nakajo. I'm in charge of your parents' case."
"How are they, doctor?" Shuichi asked nervously. He could feel Maiko grasping his hand, desperately clinging to hope. Eiri placed a calming hand on his shoulder.
Dr. Nakajo sighed heavily. "Your mother has sustained severe head injuries. She's coming out of surgery right now. We're fairly certain that we've stopped all the bleeding, but we have no way to be certain. If she lives through the night, she'll have a chance, but I'm afraid her odds of survival are slim."
Maiko began sobbing, burying her face in her brother's shoulder.
Shuichi's voice cracked when he spoke again. "And our father?"
Dr. Nakajo closed his eyes briefly, taking a deep breath before answering. "There was massive internal bleeding. His aorta was damaged in the impact. He was already gone by the time the ambulance got here. I'm sorry. There was nothing we could do."
Shuichi collapsed onto the floor with his sister, lost in his grief.
–
Eiri's heart ached at seeing Shuichi so distraught, though he did his best not to show it. "Can they see their mother?"
Dr. Nakajo nodded. "She'll be in the ICU when they're ready."
"Thank you, doctor."
Nakajo bowed politely and left them alone.
Not knowing what else to do, Eiri knelt down next the Shuichi and Maiko. He placed a hesitant hand on his lover's shoulder. Still clinging to his sister, Shuichi leaned against Eiri who put an arm around him, silently offering what support he could give.
–
Eiri sat in a hard plastic chair outside the room where Shuichi and Maiko sat with their comatose mother.
"You're not joining them?"
Eiri looked up to see Dr. Nakajo standing over him, holding out a Styrofoam cup filled with coffee. He accepted the cup and took a sip. "Mr. and Mrs. Shindou never approved of me."
Nakajo sat down next to him. "I understand. My Toru's parents have been very kind, but I'm not what they wanted for their son."
Eiri looked in askance at the man seated next to him who smiled weakly and shrugged. Under other circumstances, Eiri might have laughed. As it was, he could only look down at the lukewarm beverage in his hands.
"The reporters are getting antsy. They're demanding to know what's happening. What should I tell them?"
"Shouldn't you be asking the family?"
"It's true that the hospital administration doesn't recognize same-sex couples as family, but they're not here now."
Eiri was silent for a moment. "I can't speak for Miss Maiko, but Shuichi won't want to talk to reporters right now."
"There's a very tall American downstairs waving a gun and demanding to be let in here."
"That's Shuichi's manager. Let him in before he wrecks the place."
"There are two others with him."
"Shuichi's band mates?"
"I think so."
"Let them in too."
"All right." Dr. Nakajo rose. "If anyone asks, Mr. Shindou gave the go ahead." He walked away without waiting for a response.
Several minutes later, K arrived trailed by Nakano and Fujisaki. "Mr. Yuki. What's going on?"
Eiri told them what he knew.
K swore vehemently in English.
Suddenly, the ward was buzzing as a crash cart was wheeled into Mrs. Shindou's room and Shuichi and Maiko were ejected. Both tried to force their way back into the room. Eiri grabbed Shuichi as Nakano caught Maiko.
"Let me go!" Shuichi shouted.
"Shuichi!" Eiri shook him to get his attention. "You'll just get in the way. Let the doctors do their job."
"Yuki?" Shuichi looked up, seeing him for the first time. His eyes were red and blotchy from weeping. "Yuki!" he cried and sobbed into Eiri's chest.
Eiri looked over to see and equally distraught Maiko clinging to Nakano.
Several minutes later, Dr. Nakajo walked out of the room looking grim.
"Doctor?" Eiri prompted when the man didn't speak.
Shuichi and Maiko both looked at him, hope flashing in their eyes and fading instantly.
"I'm sorry. We did everything we could, but her injuries were too severe."
Shuichi would have fallen to the floor if Eiri hadn't caught him. He buried his face in Eiri's chest once more. Eiri simply held him.
–
Shuichi's grief subsided for a time. He sat feeling numb as he leaned against Eiri's shoulder, taking what comfort he could in his lover's strong arms. He watched as his sister dozed in Hiro's brotherly embrace. Suguru stood a few feet away, obviously unsure if he should intrude.
K had left a few minutes earlier to talk to the press. They wanted Shuichi, but he didn't have the strength to speak to them.
"Mr. Shindou?"
He looked up to see a nurse holding a clipboard.
"I'm sorry, but there's some paperwork you need to sign."
He nodded.
The nurse handed him the clipboard, and he signed the documents without really looking at them.
"He'll want copies of those," he heard Eiri tell her.
"Of course," she replied solemnly.
K returned as the nurse handed the photocopies to Eiri.
Dr. Nakajo approached again. "That's everything we need, Mr. Shindou. Your sister can be released, but I have to know where to release her to."
"She'll stay with us," Eiri said quietly, drawing stunned glances from Shuichi's band mates.
Shuichi looked up both surprised and relieved at his lover's statement. "Yuki…"
"She's your little sister, isn't she?"
"Yeah."
"Then she's our responsibility."
Shuichi caught the "our" meaning that Eiri thought of the two of them as always being together. He had never loved Eiri Yuki more than at that moment. "Thank you," he said, embracing his lover tightly.
"Then I have a few more forms for you to sign," Dr. Nakajo said, "and then you can take her home."
Shuichi signed the papers. Once Dr. Nakajo left, he walked over to Maiko and gently tapped her shoulder to wake her. "Hey, sis."
"Shuichi?" she said sleepily.
"It's time to go."
She nodded and stretched before standing. "Then let's go," she said, refusing to look toward the room where their mother's body still lay.
–
Shuichi was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of people that showed up to pay their respects to his parents. He greeted old high school friends, fans of himself and Eiri, relatives he hadn't seen for years, literally hundreds of people. He was especially touched to see Dr. Nakajo walking up to greet him, joined by a man slightly shorter than himself. "Mr. Shindou. Miss Shindou. I'm sorry I couldn't do more for them."
"You did everything you could, doctor," Shuichi replied. "We're grateful."
"This is my partner, Toru Maiki."
"The artist?" Eiri asked.
"I'm pleased that you've heard of me. Mr. Shindou, Miss Shindou, I'm more sorry than I can say."
"Thank you, Mr. Maiki."
They moved on, making room for more mourners.
Finally, the long day was over. His parents were safely interred, the people had gone, and it was just Shuichi, his lover and his sister. They rode home in silence. When they arrived, Maiko hesitated at the door.
"What's wrong?" Shuichi asked.
"Are you sure this is OK. I mean, Mr. Yuki—,"
Shuichi snorted. "He'll get used to it."
"Besides," Eiri interjected. "You'll be going off to college soon, so you won't bother me that much."
Shuichi snorted. "Be nice."
Eiri said nothing as he headed off for their bedroom.
"Look, it's been a long day, sis. We should all get some sleep."
"OK. Goodnight."
He hugged her. "Goodnight."
Shuichi said nothing as he crawled into his own bed. He was a bit surprised when Eiri put an arm around him and snuggled in. "You want to now?"
"Dumb ass. You just buried your parents today. I thought you might want some comfort."
Shuichi smiled. "Thanks." He relaxed and allowed himself to doze for a few minutes. "Yuki?"
"Hm?" came the sleepy reply.
"I love you."
Eiri kissed him on the cheek. "Go to sleep."