Homesick: Chapter Four
Hiroki looked at the doctor dumbly for a moment. Then he looked at Nowaki.
He didn't want to waste his precious words talking to some stupid physician; not that he'd really known what it was he'd fully intended to say to Nowaki.
Nowaki gazed back at him sadly before dropping his eyes.
Suddenly a new wave of pain gripped Hiroki, strong enough that he was momentarily distracted from his moral dilemma. His eyes sought Dr. Souichi.
"My stomach hurts."
"And can you show me where it hurts, Kamijou-san?"
Hiroki waved a weak hand around the general vicinity of his pain.
"And how long has this been going on?"
"Since yesterday."
Hiroki grimaced; a shiver shook his lean frame. He'd felt hot when he'd first entered the hospital, but now he was growing increasingly cold.
"That's not entirely true," Nowaki softly interjected.
"You said in the cab your stomach had been having pains off and on for about a week."
Dr. Souichi looked over at Nowaki. "And you are?"
Nowaki had stood when the doctor had entered the room. He bowed to Souichi and offered, "I'm Kusama Nowaki. Hiro, I mean Kamijou-san's roommate.
"Kamijou-san told me on the ride here that he'd been feeling discomfort off and on for about a week, though much more mildly," Nowaki explained.
"Then yesterday afternoon he began to feel very nauseous.
"The pain started in earnest last night and originally he thought it was digestive, but the discomfort has migrated to his middle and lower right quadrant and has been getting worse progressively since.
"He was also running a slight fever earlier this morning."
The doctor cocked is head slightly at the calm and succinct manner with which young man before him offered this information. He turned his head back to Hiroki.
"Is this accurate, Kamijou-san?"
Normally Hiroki would have been furious with Nowaki 's speaking for him, but he was feeling increasingly dizzy and was actually relieved that he didn't have to try and string the words together to explain.
Even now, rather than exert the effort of a verbal confirmation he just nodded.
"And the pain has been consistent?"
"He mentioned that he felt a bit better on the ride here, but the pain has been come back more strongly recently." Nowaki moved closer to Hiroki's bed. Hiro-san hadn't told him this last part, but Nowaki had felt his partner's increasing distress beyond the unease caused by their recent uncomfortable conversation.
As hurt as he was by what he had just learned, Nowaki knew a good doctor would not allow himself to be ruled by his emotions and right now Hiro-san was very ill and needed his help.
"Any vomiting?"
"I retched some last night," Hiroki admitted; his voice was shaky. "But since I hadn't eaten anything, nothing came up."
Nowaki frowned at this new information.
"Then what happened to your dinner, Hiro-san? I didn't see the plate I made you still in the fridge this morning."
Hiroki studied a spot on the wall in front of him. His increasingly pale skin took on a light flush.
"I hid it at the bottom of the bin," Hiroki mumbled.
He was mortified, not only because of the forced revelation of this second bit of deception, but also because he knew how strongly Nowaki felt about wasting food.
"Why, would you do that?" Nowaki was stunned by this admission.
"Because I knew you'd worry about me not eating otherwise," Hiroki said softly.
"I see…" Dr. Souichi interrupted the conversation, looking back and forth between the pair.
Both men shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny.
Ignoring this, Souichi stepped up closer to Hiroki.
"Alright, Kamijou-san, I'm just going to palpate your abdomen a bit.
"You tell me if it's tender. Okay?" The doctor frowned when he immediately felt the hardness of Hiroki's belly beneath his fingers.
He and Nowaki both started when at his first gentle probing Hiroki cried out.
"Fuck!"
Hiroki pushed the Souichi's hands away and curled into himself.
Nowaki was shocked by Hiroki's response. While, it was not that uncommon for Hiro-san to curse under his breath or in the privacy of their apartment, the man had always tightly controlled his language in public.
Nowaki was so concerned, he completely disregarded the fact the doctor was right there.
"Hiro-san…" Nowaki murmured. He stepped up and gently brushed a damp lock from Hiroki's forehead. He immediately noticed that his lover's skin was still clammy but oddly cool now.
As Souichi stepped back closer to his patient, Hiroki gasped, "Please, no more!"
Souichi's face became grave hearing this: he'd hardly touched the young man curled up on the bed.
Just then a nurse arrived with the results of the blood work she'd taken when Hiroki had first arrived.
The doctor took the charts and glanced over them. Then his gaze shifted over to where Nowaki was gently stroking Hiroki's hair.
Hiroki kept his head bowed, avoiding Nowaki's eyes.
"Nowaki, I'm cold."
Nowaki's expression was solemn. He could hear his lover's teeth start to chatter.
"Souichi-sensei, I think Hiro-san might be going into shock."
The doctor looked up from the charts, he'd just noted that Kamijou-san's white count was highly elevated.
He called the nurse back immediately.
"Let's get some warm blankets on him. I want an IV and some morphine started a.s.a.p. Call down to radiology and tell them we need an emergency C.A.T. scan!"
Dr. Souichi looked at Nowaki curiously.
"I'm an intern here in pediatrics," Nowaki offered humbly, in answer to the man's unspoken question.
Souichi's brows rose appreciably.
"But that's not all you are, is it?" He asked pointedly.
Nowaki stepped away from the bed reluctantly as the nurse returned with the blankets followed by another technician who was there to start the IV.
"I'm also Kamijou-san's boyfriend," Nowaki admitted.
Hiroki's troubled gaze shifted between the two medics, uneasy about how the older doctor would respond to this information. In the past his experiences with medical professionals regarding his sexuality had not always been pleasant.
"Ummmm," Souichi hummed noncommittally.
"So, normally I would say that we are most likely dealing with an appendix issue. But please forgive me, Kamijou-san, I have to ask... You were the recipient of anal penetration recently?"
Nowaki jumped in.
"We're both versatile."
While this wasn't really information that Souichi needed, nor was it necessarily entirely an accurate depiction of their particular dynamics, seeing the look on Hiro-san's face when he was asked the question had caused Nowaki to offer this in an attempt to save his partner's pride.
Hiroki's pain-weary eyes gazed at Nowaki appreciatively. He felt a glaze of tears spread over them at this kindness considering what Nowaki had learned just such a short time before.
"Yes, we're regularly active," Hiroki offered unapologetically, drawing strength from Nowaki's example.
He sighed deeply as the narcotics the tech had introduced intravenously just moments ago almost immediately began to blunt the sharp edge of his pain.
"Ah, well, then you see it could also be peritonitis brought on by a perforation in the rectal lining." Souichi offered. "Particularly if… ahem… something other than digits or a penis was involved.
Neither man responded to this immediately, confirming to Dr. Souichi that the couple most likely experimented with "toys" as well.
"But we're always very careful," Nowaki finally said with a frown.
"Well, it doesn't take much, as I am sure you know, Kusama-san. You can tear the tissue there without even any significant external evidence of bleeding and infection sets in quickly."
"You think Hiro-san has peritonitis?"
"Yes, given the symptoms, the results of the blood work, and the rigidity of his lower abdomen. I think it's highly likely… Whatever the cause," Souichi acknowledged.
Hiroki looked between the two medics; his expression was slightly hazy now and more than a little confused.
"Kamijou-san, can you tell me the last time you ate or drank anything?" Souichi asked kindly.
"Tea this morning," Hiroki's low voice had grown thick from the narcotics.
"Anything solid?"
"Lunch yesterday."
Souichi looked back to Nowaki.
"Well that's helpful. The C.A.T. scan will tell us if it is his appendix or not.
"Given the indications of peritonitis we will probably have to go in and rinse out his abdominal cavity anyways. But since he hasn't eaten anything we're safe to do anesthesia for emergency surgery. This shock worries me, however."
"Surgery?"
Hiroki's hazel eyes looked dazed, beyond the shock or the drugs.
Souichi nodded at this and then his attention turned back to Nowaki.
"Kusama-san, how about I give you a minute alone with Kamijou-san while I go and finalize some details here?"
Nowaki nodded solemnly.
"Surgery?" Hiroki mumbled again.
He'd always been so healthy, outside the rare cold or a few physical injuries from the athletic activities he engaged in. It was hard for him to understand how his whole world could suddenly shift so quickly.
"It'll be okay, Hiro-san. You'll see," Nowaki comforted, trying not to think about all of the things that could possibly go wrong. He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Hiroki's forehead.
Nowaki straightened as another nurse came in to get Hiroki and wheel him in his emergency room bed, down to radiology.
Hiroki caught Nowaki's hand and looked up.
"Nowaki, would you do me a favor?" his voice was almost hesitant.
"What, Hiro-san?"
"Would you call my mother and tell her what's happening… I mean not the anal sex thing, but the appendix stuff?" Hiroki said this surprisingly easily, thanks to the drugs.
"Of course, Hiro-san."
"My phone is in my jacket pocket. My mom is listed as Pest One," Hiroki offered, a splash of color enlivening his pale cheeks.
"Pest One?"
"Ummmm… Miyagi is Pest Two, Akihiko is Pest Three."
Nowaki knew this was not the time, but somehow it pleased him that Akihiko was listed third. That was at least until a terribly disconcerting thought occurred to him.
"Hiro-san, how am I listed?"
Hiroki's pale brow furrowed.
"As Nowaki, Dumb-ass. How else would you be listed?"
Nowaki could tell by the tone in Hiroki's voice, the man was adopting a false bravado to reassure him.
"Um… one more thing, Nowaki."
"What, Hiro-san?"
Hiroki looked at Nowaki and his dark eyes were earnest.
"I'm sorry."
Nowaki ran a gentle hand across Hiroki's forehead, trying to smooth away his lover's worried furrow.
"We'll talk about it later. Okay, Hiro-san?" He said kindly. Then seeing that this did nothing to alleviate the older man's anxiety, he leaned down and kissed Hiroki tenderly on the lips.
"I love you, Hiro-san."
Those three words brought a flash of relief to Hiroki's eyes.
"Me too," Hiroki muttered softly. "I love you, Nowaki."
As the nurse, undid the lock's on the bed's wheels, Hiroki squeezed Nowaki's hand tightly.
Nowaki stood there silently and watched Hiroki get wheeled away.
Once Hiro-san was gone, Nowaki went back to the chair he'd previously occupied and sat down heavily. He lifted Hiroki's coat off the back of his chair and dug the phone from its pocket.
Nowaki looked at the clock on the wall and sighed.
He settled into his seat preparing for the long wait ahead. He thought of what he had just learned about Hiro-san.
While, he now he had time to think about the situation, one thing he knew already without a doubt was that when he told Hiro-san he loved him, he meant it.
Nowaki flipped his lover's ancient cell phone open.
He had never used Hiro-san's cell before… It was just one of those little extremes of privacy Hiroki dictated.
He found himself drawn back to what Hiro-san had said. And as much as he wanted to believe it, given what he'd learned, Nowaki wondered if Hiro-san really did love him too?
Maneuvering to Hiroki's contacts, Nowaki was shocked to see that not only was he listed by his name, as opposed to title, which seemed to be how Hiro-san designated the rest of his contacts (Hiroki had twenty numbered entries simply listed as" bookstore"), but also that Hiro-san had put a lone "a" in front of his name so that it appeared at the top of his contact list.
Nowaki smiled softly at this, amazed at how such a simple thing suddenly filled him with a warm and quiet assurance.
Then he scanned down to "Pest One" and prepared to call and talk with his lover's mother for the first time in the six years he and Hiro-san had been together.
Another long-assed AN:
"Peritonitis is a bacterial or fungal infection of the peritoneum, a silk-like membrane that lines your inner abdominal wall and covers the organs within your abdomen. Peritonitis can result from any rupture (perforation) in your abdomen, or as a complication of other medical conditions.
This requires prompt medical attention to fight the infection and, if necessary, to treat any underlying medical conditions. Treatment of peritonitis usually involves antibiotics and, in some cases, surgery. Left untreated, peritonitis can lead to severe, potentially life-threatening infection throughout your body." (the mayo clinic. com)
Peritonitis can be the result of a ruptured appendix but the possibility of peritonitis from anal penetration is true. Usually this is more common when object penetration (sex toys, bottles, other objects) perforate the rectum, however, while rare, perforation caused by penile penetration has been reported. And it only takes a minute perforation of the rectum for dangerous bacteria to be introduced into the abdomen.
And despite how easy our porn culture makes anal sex appear, just so you know, the interior tissue in your anal canal is described as having the consistency of wet paper towel (hopefully not the bargain kind) and without proper lubrication or rough handling, it tears quite easily. This can also lead to infections and fistulas, or a weakening of the rectal walls.
These uplifting tidbits come from The Ins and Outs of Gay Sex by Dr. Stephen Goldstone (who is himself gay).
If you know a gay man, I can't recommend this text highly enough. It should be required reading. Yeah... It's filled with some pretty daunting horror stories, but also answers a lot of the questions guys don't want to ask their doctors...
Now I know some might take issue with this information and say, then what about something like fisting?
Fisting is something that takes time to work up to and should only be done with someone who has been experienced and will respect individual limits. Even then, no physician would ever consider this a safe sexual practice and the long term consequences of such activity can be profound.
Also, keeping that paper towel analogy in mind, and while I know that lube is hardly sexy... all those dry FF fucks with no lubrication... not to ruin your fiction... (They're a pet peeve of mine.) An ass is not a vagina and does not lubricate itself. So yeah... lubeless anal sex: painful, dangerous, and completely unrealistic.
And this has been your Lazerus Public Service Announcement for today. Thank you for reading.
Thanks to Asdfghjklove, KlaineEternalLovers, Lionfish13, Kitkat3195, JaniceP, Hiyokocchi, Jackattack456, Ralandia, and Lavanter37 for the alerts and favorites!
Asdfghjklove- So wonderful to hear from you. Glad to have you along again and it is this very fic that contains the lovely and traditional Lady Kamijou.
Lakeofstars- I am sorry that you have had Hiroki's experience. Glad you made it through. I'll try and get him to recovery asap so you don't have to endure too many flashbacks.
Lionfish- Always a pleasure to hear from you. Oh, and "movie" and "film"... Well amongst myself and my peers "film" is reserved for artful productions, "movies" for those of more dubious cultural merit. Yes, we're a pretentious lot at times.
Kitkat3195- Yes, take charge Nowaki is sexy and yes, the Egoists will have much to discuss later... And we all know what great communicators they are.
JaniceP- Hooray! Long time, stranger! You'd make a great diagnostician.
MidoriTenchi90- Querida, I've missed you. Good to see you again too.
Hirokocchi- It is severe, poor man. I am a very cruel author.
Loopyhutton- Lovin' you, little faithful.
FujoshiNinjaNumber6- Well, is this what you had? I mean, the appendicitis, not the other.
TBF101- Hope you're feeling even better, Sweet Bird! Yes, pride is a big issue for me. *Cough* I mean in my fics... Heh. Germ free kisses to you.
Wragziez- As long as it's only half the time. *wink*
