Author's Note
Welcome, dear reader, and thank you for reading my opening fanfic. First off, let me make it clear- I'm doing this to work on my writing, so be mean. If you think there's something to improve, tell me. If you find anything unsatisfactory, make sure you say it. Compliments can come later, as can suggestions on what I should emphasize and personal input, including ideas and general opinions. As an FYI, I plan on making future chapters longer. This one ends here because I feel like adding more would be unnecessary, and would interrupt the story's flow. Think of it as a prologue of sorts, which it is.
I plan to have this split into 4 acts (like KS) with at least 3 episodes per act. As of now, act one is projected to have 4, though that could easily grow in number. I don't know for sure where this story is headed, but I can promise that there will be no Yaoi. The T rating may or may not change, even if I do finalize a relationship. I'm double- and triple- checking my medical facts, so this is as accurate as I can make it without knowing the first thing about medicine. Tai's condition does exist, though his chances of having it are, in reality, almost nonexistant.
If you have any questions, ask. Criticisms, shoot. Compliments... only if you have criticism to go with it. Suggestions, go ahead. Facts that I missed, please. Now, before I go any further, I'll let you get to the story. Enjoy.
Act 1: Nightfall
Episode I: Sunset
"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I shall die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take"
- Christian Children's Bedtime Prayer
My name's Tai. Well, Evan, technically, but I go by Tai. Tai Braun. I'm American, I go to school in Japan, and I might die tonight. Well, any night really, but tonight at earliest. Wouldn't be the first time either.
Sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start my story at the beginning, more or less.
Here's the scene; I'm on my bike, really nice racing type. I'm practically flying down this steep hill. I'm not just coasting either. I'm full on pedaling, head low, arms in, aerodynamic as I can get. I'm sure this thing would be gliding if it had big enough wings, or at least veering off the road. As it is, I'm zooming by everything. The grass growing by the road is just a blur of green, and the trees just splotches of color. I must be going at least 40 miles an hour. I can't make out anything beside me. The wind is roaring in my ears and whipping through my hair, slicking the normally unruly brown mass back, where it stays as though held in place with gel.
I'm probably going too fast.
I reach the bottom of the hill and shoot up the next. In a flash, I'm once again barreling downhill. I honestly don't know what's gotten into me. Usually I take it easy down these hills for fear of oncoming traffic or losing control. I remember how uncomfortable it was when I first moved here to Japan from America. My dad had just gotten a promotion, and his salary shot up. He loved his job as a programmer, and the opportunity to make more money to better support his family was the kind of thing he'd always dreamed of. I'll skip the boring parts, but suffice it to say that we were a little lost at first. It took a lot to adapt- I even changed my name- but we managed, and now, with one year left of high school, I'm feeling pretty confident. That, on top of just recently having gotten this pretty nice bike, probably helps explain why I'm being so reckless now. Still…
I'm probably going too fast.
I don't think I really care. Some part of me might, but it got outvoted a long time ago. I'm enjoying this immensely, flying down this hill like I am. I feel so free. So uninhibited. I could get used to feeling like this. That's when it hit me.
Well, more like I hit it. I think it's a car. Not sure. If it was, it couldn't have been moving. My bike stops immediately. The same can't be said for me. I'm sailing through the air uncontrollably. I see something brown for just a moment.
I'm probably going too fa-
-o-O-o-
I can't move. I'm in a bed. It smells like antiseptic. The lights are too bright. My head hurts. I'm hungry. This isn't my room.
What happened?
I remember… a hill… Moving… A bike... Riding my bike down a hill? Sounds about right. Speed. A lot of it. Riding fast. Then… something. Something happened, and I don't remember. A crash? That would explain why I can't remember anything, after all…
Oh. I'm in a hospital. Yep, I crashed. I look around. Well, I can see why I can't move. Both my legs and my right arm are wrapped at least partially in casts. I can't bend my neck to look though, since I'm also in a neck brace, limiting where I can look. I can't tell if there's anything on my head. I don't feel anything, but that could be just as bad as good. I'm on a sea-foam green bed, surrounded by sea-foam green curtains, probably above a sea-foam green mat on top of sea-foam green tiles. There's a steady beeping sound to my right.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
I just lay there, listening to the sounds of the hospital.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
I need a doctor. Someone to tell me what's happening.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Wow. That's going to get old fast.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Please stop.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"I get it, I'm alive. Shut up."
Beep. Beep. Beep.
I sigh in exasperation. I hate machines sometimes. Apparently my request wasn't totally useless though, as I hear steps coming closer to me. A moment later, the curtain opens. It's a man. Tall, soft, and clean shaven. His name tag tells me he's a doctor, though I assumed as much from the sea-foam green medical scrubs.
What is it with hospitals and that color?
He's a gentle-looking man. He looks young for a doctor. Either he's brilliant, or he just looks young. Either is welcoming in a hospital.
"Ah, Mr. Braun. You're awake. Excellent. How do you feel?"
He seems nice
"Uhh… my head hurts a little. Kinda hungry."
"Sounds like you're doing fine, then. You broke a few bones in your arms and legs. Nothing unfixable, fortunately. You took a nasty hit to the head, however, and cracked two vertebra. We're going to have to check for any brain damage. Fortunately, you were wearing a helmet. If you hadn't been, I doubt you'd be doing so well right now."
Oh. Wow. Thanks mom.
"So… how bad is it?"
The doctor smiles. "Not as bad as it might look. You seem to be okay for the most part. I'm a little worried about your neck, and like I said, we need to check for brain damage, but I'm guessing you'll be fine and back on your feet in a few months. You're actually quite lucky, I think."
Haha. Lucky. Yeah, maybe. Lucky and stupid. At least I'll be better.
"How long do I have to stay here?" I ask, already seeing a glimpse of how boring this could get.
The doctor keeps smiling. "Hopefully, no more than a week. We just need to make sure that your brain and spine will be okay before we can let you leave. Don't want to take any unnecessary risks with your safety, after all."
A week. I can live with that.
The doctor leaves. I have a little more time to look around the room. I was wrong about the floor; the tiles are white. Still, there's more green than makes for an acceptable color scheme outside a hospital, so it more than looks the part. I've wondered from time to time why hospitals are always so green before I remembered that I don't really care. The room is empty, save for me. I wonder briefly why the curtain was drawn. It's not like there's anyone in here to take away from my privacy. I resume looking around. There's a television and a remote lying on a table to my left, next to my unbroken arm. I'm glad they thought to put it on an available side, but I haven't watched television since elementary school. I'm more a player than a viewer, so I'm more drawn to games than shows, movies or books. I don't particularly like being railroaded into things. Never have.
The machine measuring my heart keeps beeping. I guess it's here in case there was more to me than some broken bones. It's neither particularly reassuring nor worrying, since it means two things; there could be more wrong with me than just broken bones, and if anything happens, the doctors will hear. I settle for naming it Robert, and strike up a conversation.
"So, Robby- can I call you Robby?- how's life?"
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"I see. Well, I'll leave you to it."
I'm such a loser. I'm already bored. I don't think I've been alone for 2 minutes yet, and I'm already talking to the hospital equipment to entertain myself. Okay, I'm going to not be pathetic for at least the first day and figure out something to do. Fortunately, a nurse comes by in a few minutes with some food. I ask if there's anything around I could use to keep entertained. The only games are board games, I verify, and there's little media outside general television. There are books, however. Eh. I never said I hated reading. Since I can't exactly walk, I ask the nurse to bring me a few fiction books. I ask for several mostly to save him the trip, since I'm not a particularly fast reader, but also so that I'll have some selection. Like I said- I don't like being railroaded into decisions.
I look through the stack. I haven't read any of them, which is good, since I can't stand rereading books. Most of them look decent, so I start off with a mostly standard fantasy story about a young soldier-in-training who learns he's a wizard and ends up in the middle of a war. It's as standard as I expected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm enjoying it, though I do get interrupted a few chapters in when my part-worried, part-angry parents come to tell me how glad they are I'm alright and how stupid of me it was to get into the accident in the first place. I listen patiently, understanding their concern and promising I won't be so reckless again. They ask if I want them to bring anything, but I decline. I figure I can go a week game-free. I haven't read much outside of school recently, and while it's far from a passion of mine, it is something I enjoy doing from time to time.
I spend the next several days alternately reading, sleeping, and eating, in no particular order. I eventually run out of books, since I'd had so much time to read them and I'd only had a relatively small pile to begin with. Fortunately, I'm able to restock on them after a nurse comes in to check on me, and I resume the cycle. Finally, I get the news from the doctor that I'll be free to leave tomorrow. I'm excited, mostly because I'm tired of sitting in the hospital doing nothing. Sure, I may not be any more active at home, but I'll at least be there. It gets kind of lonely just having my parents as visitors, and hospital food only goes so far. Besides, breaks are much shorter in most other countries than they are in America, and Japan Is no exception. I don't really want to spend the last bit here in the hospital. So, comforted by the fact that I'll be out tomorrow, I finish the book I'm on and call it a day. Sweet dreams, me.
-o-O-o-
My eyes shoot open. Everything is blurry. I can't see. My chest feels like it's going to explode. The normally steady beeps are racing. The beep seems to catch on something. It draws out, and doesn't end when it should. My vision goes black…
Eyes open. More fast beeping. Everything's still blurry. I hear some muffled sounds. The only thing I can hear clearly is the beeping sound. Another long beep. Darkness…
Eyes. I'm going to explode. I can't see. Can't hear anything but the beep. What's happening.
Darkness.
My eyes shoot open once again. What. Is. Happening. The beeping is going so fast. Then... it slows down. Beep. Beep. Beep. I hear words, but they sound so far away.
"…stable. Get his shirt…"
Dark.
-o-O-o-
I wake up again. I can see clearly. I hear someone speaking, a male. Probably a doctor. I listen in.
"-Blood tests were inconclusive. We can't say for sure what exactly happened just yet. We have a few theories, but it's too early to jump to any conclusions. We'll keep a watch on him, see if we can find out what caused it."
What? What happened? What's going on?
"H-hello?" I can't manage more than a rough whisper.
"Hmm? Ah, he's awake. Welcome back. You had us all worried there. How do you feel?"
"Feel? Err, fine. What happened?"
The doctor presses his lips together grimly before he responds. This is bad.
"Your heart stopped as you slept. We don't know whether or not it's related to your accident yet. It may have been, but there's also a chance that the only reason you're still alive is because you crashed in the first place and wound up here."
I can't think of anything to say in reply. My heart stopped? Just like that? What… how…
"I'm sorry to say that until we can figure out what happened, we're going to need to keep you here under close watch in case it happens again. I'm sorry."
"You mean… I had a heart attack?"
The doctor shook his head.
"No. A heart attack is one thing. There was no warning in your case. One moment your heartbeat was completely normal, the next it had completely stopped without warning."
My heart stopped? Just stopped? No heart attack? No warning?
…
I could have died. I nearly did.
No warning…
In case it happens again…
Oh god.
"How… how long?" I ask. "How long… will it take?"
The doctor looks grim.
"I don't know. It depends on what it is, what we can find, and whether or not it shows any symptoms. It could be days, it could be months. I'm sorry."
I stare at him.
"So I'm here… indefinitely."
"Yes. Indefinitely."
-o-O-o-
A day passes, then two. Tests come in a series of wraps, tablets, probes and needles, and by day three they're no closer to an answer than they started. Three days become a week, then two weeks. By now they're monitoring brain activity, trying to come up with something. Anything. Tests are becoming less frequent as avenues of investigation dry up. I'm left with more and more free time. No, not free time. Free implies choice. Free implies possibility, freedom. No, this isn't free time. It's down time at best. Unused time. Wasted time, even. Whatever it is, it's not free time. Of that I'm sure.
School starts. I don't. While the students at my school are no doubt complaining about homework and new teachers, I'm here taking test after test, none for credit. I envy them, having the luxury to complain about little things. Did I do well on that assignment? The history teacher gives so much homework.
It disgusts me.
Will I see tomorrow morning? Can my heart stop during the day too? What else could be wrong with me?
It's not fair.
By the end of the first month, only a few possibilities haven't been ruled out.
"There really aren't any symptoms for whatever your son has. The most likely diagnoses we can come up with is that your son suffers from sudden unexpected nocturnal death syndrome. It's a rare genetic disorder that causes those with it to simply die in their sleep after their heart stops without warning. It's extremely rare, but its only real symptom is death, exactly like what Tai has. Nothing else fully explains the sudden condition. He has no abnormalities with his brain or spinal cord that we can see, so it wasn't the accident. It may sound ironic, but your son may be one of the single luckiest human beings alive. We very nearly let him out the night right before this all happened."
Some luck.
"Is there a cure? Please, tell us there's a cure! We'll do anything!"
My parents beg the doctor for ages. He responds that there isn't.
"The only way people survive SUNDS is by sheer luck or by direct medical intervention. There are steps we can take to minimize the risk, such as giving him an ICD, a type of defibrillator that must be surgically implanted, but otherwise there isn't much we can do."
"What can we do? There must be something we can do. Anything!"
The doctor thinks for a moment.
"Other than the ICD, the only way to give your son the best chances of survival is to keep him in an environment where he can be consistently monitored."
Constantly monitored? How? My parents wonder the same thing.
"A setting where there will always be someone to check in on him, like in a hospital or nursing home, for example."
Nursing home? Like for old people?
"But… How will he finish his schooling?"
Is that really the logical next step? School? The doctor pauses.
"Most schools have some sort of program for the disabled, but I'll admit your son has a special case. There is one school in particular that I know of, however, that's designed to accommodate a plethora of medical disabilities. They provide services from more common issues like blindness to major degenerative diseases like autoimmune disease."
I blink. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that much, but it never struck me that there would be a school designed specifically for people who were dying. Well, dying and disabled, but it's the fact that the school takes the dying as well that makes me think. Who pays to educate someone who'll be dead in a few years? My parents ask. I can already see where this is going.
"It's a place called Yamaku Academy. It's actually not all that far from here, all things considered. It's only a few hours from here by train. It's a private academy, of course, and I won't try to hide the fact that it's quite expensive for more than one reason. I'm sure you understand. It is, however, equipped with 24-hour nursing staff and is only a few minutes away from a rather respected hospital."
"Do you think that this place… Yamku Academy-"
"Yamaku."
"Yamaku, sorry. Do you think that Yamaku Academy will be able to… support our son?"
"If anywhere can accommodate him, it will be Yamaku Academy. It spends a great deal of its endowment on making sure it has the finest equipment, faculty and staff available."
I'm dying of a rare genetic disorder, and your first and foremost concern is having me go to school. I'm sorry, but this just feels bizarre. How about finding out what it'll take to get that ICD thing first? How about figuring out if I'll ever be safe sleeping again?
Parents.
"How much will it cost?"
"I can't say, but I could give you their number for you to get in contact with them."
"Yes. Yes. Of course. While we're at it, how soon can we have that thing you mentioned earlier. The surgery?"
"The soonest, I think, is three days from now. We'll need time to get everything ready and in one place, and to make sure we have enough skilled surgeons available."
Three days? Okay. I think I can stay up that long.
Then I go back to school.
Yeah. Lucky. Thanks a lot, universe.