Chapter 2: Discharge

'He… he won't make it.'

'It's too late.'

'We can't save him.'

'We're sorry for your loss, Miyuki-san.'

"N-No… I can't… I can't…"

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

The nurses in the room frantically ran to a certain bed, checking the screens and plugs. "What's happening to him?"

"The beeping is out of control!"

"He's trembling like mad! Is he having a seizure?"

"No; he's probably having a nightmare. Should we wake him up? This looks kind of dangerous."

"Let him wake up by himself."

The patient tossed and turned violently, rattling the bed beneath him. "I don't… I can't…"

'He won't make it.'

"N-No…"

'It's too late.'

"I… I…"

'We can't save him.'

"I won't l-leave…"

'We're sorry for your loss, Miyuki-san.'

"I DON'T WANT TO!" The patient's eyes flashed open as he woke up from his nightmare, panting heavily. After a few minutes of shock he settled down, absorbing his surroundings. "What? Where am I?"

A nurse sighed in relief, reading the screen for a steady pulse. "Sawamura-kun, it's about time you woke up. We were worried that you wouldn't make it in time."

Eijun bit his lip as he stared at the white ceiling, calming his trembling fingers. "I… don't remember anything…" 'What am I doing here?'

Dr. Shimizu walked in, clapping her hands. "Alright, nurses, you did a good job watching over him. You may leave."

Once the room was empty save for the two of them, the dark haired woman stood next to Eijun and gave him a dark look. "You collapsed from exhaustion. You were in a coma for about a week."

The brunette closed his eyes. "Oh…" 'Kazuya and Kazujun must be worried sick about me…'

"Don't 'oh' me. Sawamura, you really pushed yourself this time."

"Eh?"

"I have some terrible news."

"Waaaahh!"

Irritated, Jun ran back into the room and picked Shiki up from his crib, rocking him back and forth in his arms. "God, will this baby ever shut the hell up?! I'm trying to go to sleep!"

Tetsu shook his head, turning a page in his book. "It's all about patience, Jun. Just take your time and he'll eventually quiet down."

"Tch, you make it sound so damn easy! Why don't you do it?"

"Allow me." The former captain slid out of bed and went to his wife's side. As soon as he stared into the baby's eyes, it stopped crying, a fearful look on his face.

Jun gawked. "Whoa, that's amazing! How'd you do that?"

"Babies are scared easily."

"Oh… wait, so you're saying I'm not scary enough?! How dare you!"

Tetsu chuckled softly as Jun kicked his leg. "I'm so happy we had a child."

"Hmph. Why's that?"

"Now I'm not the only one who has to endure the pain of being cursed out everyday."

"Y-You bastard!"

"Waaaahh!"

"Damn it, Tetsu!"

1:38 am

Eijun stood in front of his house, taking a deep breath. "I don't know why I feel so scared," he said to himself. "Nothing's changed. Everything should be the same." Releasing his clenched fists, he fished out his set of keys from his sweater and opened the door. Stepping past the threshold, he quietly closed the door and set down his bag. 'I guess they went to bed already,' he thought, removing his sweater.

Running up the stairs to his room, he playfully rolled his eyes as he saw Kazuya and Kazujun sprawled out on the floor, apparently exhausted from playing all day. "Making more work for me already," he mused. Scooping Kazujun up, he placed a kiss on his cheek and softly placed him in his crib in the next room over.

Walking to the bathroom, the brunette flicked on the lights and turned on the faucet, letting the warm water drip. 'I collapsed… I should start being more careful.' Fishing in his pocket, he revealed a small bottle of pills.

'Use these,' Dr. Shimizu had instructed seriously. 'If it happens, consume two pills immediately. Never overdose or you might die on the spot. Do not let your husband see them.'

"Eijun!"

Eijun jumped in surprise as Miyuki suddenly appeared in the doorway. He hid the pills behind his back and smiled brightly. "K-Kazuya! You scared me! I thought you were sleeping."

The bespectacled man rubbed his eyes, yawning. "Yeah, I was. But then I heard footsteps and decided to check it out. I can't believe you're here now. I've missed you so much." He pushed his wife against the wall. "Just how hard did you think it was to take care of Kazujun by myself for an entire week?"

The former pitcher laughed nervously. "Sorry, sorry. You know it wasn't my fault." 'Get away from me!'

"Don't you ever make me worry about you like that again." Miyuki wrapped his arms around Eijun's waist and trapped him in a kiss full of passion, his tongue already making its way into his mouth.

The younger male cursed internally, discouraged. 'Dammit, I can't escape! I can't afford to let Kazuya know!' Left with no choice, he tightly held the bottle in one hand and pulled Miyuki closer, pretending to enjoy the kiss.

After a brief make-out session, they let go, their cheeks red. "That's enough for now," Miyuki said, staring into Eijun's eyes. "You look extremely tired and weak."

The brunette sweat-dropped. "I can't believe you just realized that. What a nice husband you are."

The bespectacled man laughed, giving him a light smack on the ass. "You know it. Are you gonna take a shower?"

"Yeah."

"Alright." Miyuki ruffled Eijun's hair. "Goodnight. Love you, babe." He closed the door. 'Thank God… he's alive. I can finally sleep through the night without having to worry about him.'

Eijun let out a deep breath as he slid to the marble floor. "Ahh, that was way too close! What if he found out? But he shouldn't know about my condition or these pills… I can never be too careful. He's smarter than I am."

'If it happens, consume two pills immediately.'

"What did she mean by 'it'? I have so many questions, but she's gonna get mad if I ask her! Mou!" He elbowed the wall behind him in frustration. "I should hurry and go to bed." Standing, he carefully placed the bottle of pills behind some stuff in the cabinet and stripped naked, turning on the shower.

"Mommy!" Kazujun shouted happily as he saw his mother the next morning. "Hi, mommy!"

Eijun held him tight, showering him with kisses. "Hi, little man! Did you miss me?"

He had no idea what he said; he just nodded ecstatically.

"Aw, that's cute! Mommy's going to take good care of you from now on, so don't cry anymore!"

Miyuki rolled his eyes. "Talk baby language. He's not understanding you."

The brunette whipped his head around, grilling him. "Shh, Kazuya! I'm teaching him at an early age!"

"That's not how it works, baka. It'll just make him even more confused."

The younger male pouted as he seated Kazujun in his high chair and placed a sliced up omelet in front of him. Before he could start feeding him, Kazujun picked up the fork by himself, brutally stabbed a slice and shoved it in his mouth.

Miyuki's coffee spilled from his mouth. "I call bullshit! Ever since you got hospitalized, I had to feed him by force! Now that you're here, he wants to act all innocent and feed himself?! Come on!"

Eijun snickered, admiring Kazujun's growth. "Haha! I'm a better parent than you!"

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing." Suddenly, Eijun felt his stomach compress and he keeled over, squeezing his eyes shut. "Mhm!"

The former catcher ran over to him, alarmed. "Babe! Are you okay?!"

"No… my stomach really hurts…"

"Because you haven't eaten in a long time. Eat up."

The brunette shook his head defiantly as the pain intensified, a weird sensation pooling in his gut. "I feel like throwing up…"

Miyuki pulled him up and felt his forehead. "You're not hot or anything. Go to the bathroom–" Before he could finish his sentence, Eijun pushed him out of the way, dashed to the bathroom and slammed the door. He screamed as his stomach compressed again and he threw up.

Strangely enough, it didn't feel like vomit. There wasn't a bitter taste in his mouth; more like a burning and slightly salty taste.

'What… was that?'

Slowly opening his eyes, he felt his heart drop as he stared at the floor beneath him. "No…"

Blood was everywhere.