Takato, Rika, Henry, Kazu, Jeri, and Kenta were sitting in the hospital
waiting room waiting for news on Ryo. It had been two hours since the six
dirty kids had carried in the one severely injured boy.
Rika stood looking out the window. The same tears that had stung her eyes two hours ago were still there. She was using most of her energy trying not to cry. She had to be strong.
Henry came and stood beside her. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"It's all my fault." Rika said without even looking at Henry.
"What are you talking about, Rika? None of this is your fault. How could you say that?"
Rika turned around and looked at Henry. "Yes it is! Ryo risked his own life to save mine. If I wasn't there, or had at least moved, he wouldn't have tried to save me and wouldn't be hurt!" Rika couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They poured down her face.
"It's okay," Henry put his hands on her shoulders. He didn't know what to do. Henry put his arms around her and gave her a hug. She didn't push away, or hug back, she just stood there in Henry's arms.
They stood in that position for a while. Rika was crying onto Henry's shoulder, which was soaking wet. He either didn't care, or didn't notice. He was thinking about something else.
*Geez, I've never seen Rika cry like this before. She must really care about Ryo. He must really care about her, too, considering he did risk his life to save her's. I wonder if Rika would be crying like this if it wasn't Ryo hurt, but me or Takato?" Henry thought. *I wonder...*
"Rika?" Henry asked.
"Yeah?" Rika looked up at Henry. Her face was red and was just as soaking wet as Henry's shoulder.
"I was just wondering, do you li-" His sentence was cut short. A doctor came through the waiting room door.
Takato, who had been sitting with Jeri, who was also crying, and comforting her, stood up. Rika, Henry, Kazu, Kenta, Jeri, and he were the only ones in the waiting room. The doctor was there to see them.
"I'm guessing you are friends and family of Ryo Akiyama?" the doctor asked.
"Just friends. We couldn't get a hold of his father, Dr., uh," Takato looked at his nametag. "Dr. Hitashi."
"Well, it looks like he's going to be alright. I'm afraid that if you brought him in here in as little as fifteen minutes after you did, he might have bled to death, though. But you didn't. Each bullet had done its fair share of damage. The one in his leg fractured his femur. The one to his hand broke his wrist. And the one in the chest, well let's just say you got very lucky, with it being only half an inch from his heart. That one cracked a rib." Dr. Hitashi explained. "He should be out in about 3-10 days, depending on his will and how fast he recovers. His heart and lungs are still in shock from the trauma, so that will also effect how long he stays."
"Thank you, Dr Hitashi." Henry said.
"Can we go see him now?" Takato asked.
"Yes, but I have one more question. How exactly did this happen?" the doctor asked.
"Kenta looked at everyone. "You don't wanna know. Even if you did, you wouldn't believe it." He said.
"Well, I'll take your word for it, but I'm going to need to know sooner or later." Dr. Hitashi said. "He's in room 70. Right down the hall, turn left. It's on the right side.
"Thanks!" Henry called as they ran down the hall. Takato counted along the way. "67, 68, 69, 70!" He burst through the door. They found Ryo lying on a bed with his leg in a sling above his bed and his arm also in a sling. He was shirtless, with long gauze bandages wrapped around his chest. His eyes were closed, but they weren't sure if he was still unconscious or just sleeping.
They sat down in the couch and chair around his bed. "Ryo...." Rika looked down at her lap and shook her head. "He's in here because of me. If I just would have moved instead of standing there like a deer in some headlights, he wouldn't be hurt." She sobbed.
Rika stood looking out the window. The same tears that had stung her eyes two hours ago were still there. She was using most of her energy trying not to cry. She had to be strong.
Henry came and stood beside her. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"It's all my fault." Rika said without even looking at Henry.
"What are you talking about, Rika? None of this is your fault. How could you say that?"
Rika turned around and looked at Henry. "Yes it is! Ryo risked his own life to save mine. If I wasn't there, or had at least moved, he wouldn't have tried to save me and wouldn't be hurt!" Rika couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They poured down her face.
"It's okay," Henry put his hands on her shoulders. He didn't know what to do. Henry put his arms around her and gave her a hug. She didn't push away, or hug back, she just stood there in Henry's arms.
They stood in that position for a while. Rika was crying onto Henry's shoulder, which was soaking wet. He either didn't care, or didn't notice. He was thinking about something else.
*Geez, I've never seen Rika cry like this before. She must really care about Ryo. He must really care about her, too, considering he did risk his life to save her's. I wonder if Rika would be crying like this if it wasn't Ryo hurt, but me or Takato?" Henry thought. *I wonder...*
"Rika?" Henry asked.
"Yeah?" Rika looked up at Henry. Her face was red and was just as soaking wet as Henry's shoulder.
"I was just wondering, do you li-" His sentence was cut short. A doctor came through the waiting room door.
Takato, who had been sitting with Jeri, who was also crying, and comforting her, stood up. Rika, Henry, Kazu, Kenta, Jeri, and he were the only ones in the waiting room. The doctor was there to see them.
"I'm guessing you are friends and family of Ryo Akiyama?" the doctor asked.
"Just friends. We couldn't get a hold of his father, Dr., uh," Takato looked at his nametag. "Dr. Hitashi."
"Well, it looks like he's going to be alright. I'm afraid that if you brought him in here in as little as fifteen minutes after you did, he might have bled to death, though. But you didn't. Each bullet had done its fair share of damage. The one in his leg fractured his femur. The one to his hand broke his wrist. And the one in the chest, well let's just say you got very lucky, with it being only half an inch from his heart. That one cracked a rib." Dr. Hitashi explained. "He should be out in about 3-10 days, depending on his will and how fast he recovers. His heart and lungs are still in shock from the trauma, so that will also effect how long he stays."
"Thank you, Dr Hitashi." Henry said.
"Can we go see him now?" Takato asked.
"Yes, but I have one more question. How exactly did this happen?" the doctor asked.
"Kenta looked at everyone. "You don't wanna know. Even if you did, you wouldn't believe it." He said.
"Well, I'll take your word for it, but I'm going to need to know sooner or later." Dr. Hitashi said. "He's in room 70. Right down the hall, turn left. It's on the right side.
"Thanks!" Henry called as they ran down the hall. Takato counted along the way. "67, 68, 69, 70!" He burst through the door. They found Ryo lying on a bed with his leg in a sling above his bed and his arm also in a sling. He was shirtless, with long gauze bandages wrapped around his chest. His eyes were closed, but they weren't sure if he was still unconscious or just sleeping.
They sat down in the couch and chair around his bed. "Ryo...." Rika looked down at her lap and shook her head. "He's in here because of me. If I just would have moved instead of standing there like a deer in some headlights, he wouldn't be hurt." She sobbed.