::Part 4::
Aya blinked hard against the blinding sun that streamed through his window and onto his bed. He felt its warmth and was comforted with it, realizing that the room he was in was quite cold. Once he could focused his eyes properly, he scanned his surroundings, at first unsure where he was. It was only when he tried to move his head that he remembered everything.
The events of the previous evening hit him like a ton of bricks. Aya remembered being in the car with Ken, the terrible noise as their car collided with the truck, the long, anxious wait he had to endure before he knew that Ken would be all right.
He was still in the hospital, he realized, but no longer in the emergency room. It was a tiny room he was in now, with dull sterile white walls that seemed to bleached the life out from the cheery yellow sunlight. Aya wondered if he should call someone to let them know that he was awake. Glancing around for a call button to call the nurse, Aya noticed Omi curled up in a chair in one corner of the room. Omi looked decidedly uncomfortable, but had somehow managed to fall asleep on the stiff, wooden chair. Aya smiled a little to himself and didn't have the heart to wake the younger boy.
Aya turned his head back and grimaced as he felt a sharp pain. He tentatively touched the dressing that covered most of his forehead and remembered the stitches he had on the cut. He hadn't felt too bad after the accident --- he had been more numb than anything --- but now he had developed a splitting headache. The need to call for a nurse heightened, and Aya was tempted to ask for a handful of aspirin at the same time.
After less than a minute, as if answering his silent call, a smiling nurse entered the room.
"Well, well, you are finally awake!," she said brightly, bustling towards him.
From the corner of his eyes, Aya saw Omi stirred at the sound and slowly woke up. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked at Aya and the nurse. "Ohayou," he murmured and then stretched.
"Ohayou," the smiling nurse greeted back at the blonde boy. "How are you feeling, young man?" she asked, turning her attention back at Aya. She pulled Aya's chart from the foot of the bed and scanned it.
"Apart from a killer headace, okay, I guess," he said grimly.
"Well, that to be expected. You've got a nasty knock," the nurse said. She smiled down at him as she strapped a blood pressure strap on Aya's arm and tucked a stethoscope into her ears. Aya waited patiently as the nurse took the reading and recorded it in the chart.
"Do you think I could have some aspirin?" Aya asked as the nurse continued her observation. Aya noticed on her name tag that her name was Kaneko Miyuki.
"Soon, hon, after the doctor has seen you,"
"Great," Aya muttered under his breath as his head throbbed painfully.
"You'll be as right as rain in a few days," the nurse continued cheerily.
Aya didn't think it was fair that the nurse should be so happy when he himself felt so awful.
"I'll take your word for it," he said grimly.
"You are a very lucky young man, you know," she said kindly, replacing the chart. She went back to Aya's bedside, tucking his blanket as she went. "They are terrible things, car accidents. I never want my boy to get his license… I was real sorry to hear about your friend. It's such a tragedy when someone so young like that…"
Aya felt his whole body freeze. He could've sworn that his heart stopped beating. He sensed Omi rushed to his side from his previous place near the window. Omi shot the nurse a wide-eyed stare, his mouth opened in shock.
The woman was talking as if Ken was dead, Aya thought, but he could barely comprehend what that meant. Aya was dazed with fear.
"Is he not okay?" Omi asked, his voice sounded frantic and worry. "Is he dying?". Youji hadn't told him about the detail of Ken's condition last night.
Miyuki noticed their frightened reaction and figured they probably hadn't taken the news in last night. She fussed over them in a maternal manner, sounding as encouragingly as she could.
"Now, now, don't you worry, hon. Doctors can do amazing things these days and rehabilitation practices are improving all the time. Just look at that Christopher Reeves --- and his injuries are much more serious than your friend".
Aya let go of the breath he had been holding and felt the flood of relief that Ken was actually still alive. For a moment there he had thought… but then his elation was destroyed when the nurse's words sank in. Christopher Reeves. Aya slightly remembered that Christopher Reeves was a quadriplegic. He was completely paralized and on a respirator… Aya couldn't believe it. His chest tightened and lump formed in his throat as he dared to think Ken in that condition.
"Don't worry, honey, everything's going to be all right," Miyuki cooed. She finally realized that perhaps Aya hadn't known about his friend's condition at all and she shouldn't have mention it. Miyuki hoped she wouldn't get into trouble for divulging the information.
"I need to see him," Aya whispered, interupting her thought of self preservation. "Can I see him?"
"Aya-kun!," Omi exclaimed.
"Well, he's in the ICU and they only let immediate family in there…" Miyuki said slowly and with uncertainty in her voice.
"We *are* the closest persons he has to his family," Aya insisted. "He doesn't has any family. He only has us. Please…". He was pleading, staring intently at the nurse's eyes. His own discomfort was forgotten when he imagined Ken lying there… he had to restain himself not to just jump and run to Ken's room.
Miyuki looked over her shoulder for other staff as she contemplated his request. She didn't look into the young man's eyes for too long before she finally gave in to the request. "All right, then. But you are going in a wheelchair, okay? You are not even supposed to get up before the doctor sees you".
"I'm fine. I feel fine," Aya lied, pulling himself further upwards.
"Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes. I'll just check that the coast is clear," Miyuki said.
"Ano," Omi spoke up. "Can I come too?"
She looked at him for a moment then smiled tenderly. "Oh, I guess that wouldn't make a difference".
Miyuki glanced around furtively as she scurried out of the door. Aya's throat clenched tight as he waited impatiently for the nurse to return. He was so preoccupied with worry that he almost jumped in surprise when he heard a noise from the door.
"Hey, you are awake," Youji said as he walked in, his hands holding two cups of hot coffee. "For you, Omi," he said, handing one cup to Omi.
"Thanks, Youji-kun," he said and took a small sip.
"I left to cafetaria because I suddenly felt hungry," Youji smiled sheepishly. "How are you feeling now, Aya?"
"You lied to me," Aya growled, his voice low and deadly.
Youji took a step back in surprise. The violet eyes were full of hatred. "What?" he managed to stammered.
"You lied to me about Ken," he said. "You just happened to leave out the fact that he is paralyzed. You told me he was all right".
"What? They don't know if he is! The doctor said it's too soon to tell… I didn't want to make you worry, Aya. I thought …"
"You still should've told me. I have the right to know the truth. I trusted you, Youji".
Youji opened his mouth to explain further, but every excuse seemed meaningless in the light of the day. It had been easier to excuse the lie the night before, believing it was for Aya's own good. But Youji could see now that he had been wrong. Before he had a chance to appologize, a nurse entered the room pushing an empty wheelchair.
"You ready, young man?" she asked.
Aya nodded and slipped out of the bed, walking a bit unsteadily towards the wheelchair. Omi held his hand to assist him.
"Where are you going?" Youji asked.
Aya ignored his question, but Omi answered him. "To see Ken," he said softly.
"Are you sure that's allowed? I mean, you should be resting," Youji said.
Aya glared at him, his violet eyes burning with fury. He didn't say anything but Youji saw a threat in his glare. "I'm going with you," he said.
"Well, I'm not sure," Miyuki said. "That'd be too many people…"
"I need to know Ken's condition too. I'm his friend too just like them," Youji said fiercely. "I'm going with you".
Miyuki and Youji stared at each other for a few moments before Miyuki finally relented. "Okay, but please keep silent," she said.
Youji nodded, not saying a word. He looked at Aya, but the redhead didn't looked at him again, his eyes remained steadfastly ahead as the nurse turned him around and wheeled him out of the door. Omi looked at Youji sympathetically and without another word, they followed Aya.
* * *
"Now, you can only stay for a minute," Miyuki counseled as they made their way up the hospital corridor to the Intensive Care Unit. "Hidaka-san's still unconsciouss anyway".
Miyuki stopped just outside the door to the ICU room. Aya looked up and saw "Hidaka, SCI" written on a small white board on the door.
"I'll let you guys take him in," Miyuki said to Omi and Youji. "Remember, not too long".
Both Omi and Youji nodded and waited as Miyuki held open the door. Omi pushed Aya inside, Youji walking behind them. The room was darkened and it took a few seconds for their eyes to adjust to the dim light. A curtain had been drawn around the bed, so Youji stepped forward to pull it aside.
He stopped short when he saw Ken, unable to move momentarily. He didn't realize that he was standing in front of Aya and Omi until Aya shoved him impatiently from behind. Youji turned around and looked deep into those violet eyes. Aya's chest tightened when he saw the terror that flooded Youji's face. Youji stepped numbly aside and Aya got his first glimpse of Ken.
He was lying on his back, his body bare from the waist up. The cuts and bruises Aya could see was gruesome enough. One side of Ken's chest was swollen painfully and almost black in color. Aya's eyes traveled up Ken's torso to the stiff neck brace he was wearing. IV tubes protruded from both arms and a thicker tube was taped into place in his mouth. The pale blue plastic piping led to a respirator by the bed that hissed with every breath it pumped into his lung. Ken's boyish face was covered in small cuts and abrasions like his own, but it was then he saw what had shocked Youji so profoundly.
There were two clamps attached to Ken's head just above his ears, culminating in a metal brace that was keeping Ken's head and neck perfectly still. The clamps were pressed so tightly against his skin that they appeared to have been drilled into his skull. Aya saw the brace was attached to traction weights.
Aya just knew he couldn't bear to look at Ken any second longer. He thrusted his shaking hands on the wheel of his chair and almost ran over Omi's feet in an attempt to back out of the room as quickly as possible.
"Get me out of here," he managed to say through ragged breaths.
Omi obeyed without any question, and pulled him out into the brightly lit corridor again. Youji drew the curtain back before getting out of the room.
Aya's pale face was now even paler. He was as white as a sheet, and Youji knew he had been traumatized by the sight of Ken badly injured. He had been stunned into silence and stared blankly ahead as the nurse took over and wheeled him back to his room.
* * *
Aya waited silently as Manx signed the paperwork to discharged him. Youji had stayed by his side since they returned from seeing Ken, but he didn't really acknowledge his presence. Aya was itching to get out of the hospital, he couldn't bear to stay there any minute longer. Luckily the doctor had agreed to let him go because he only suffered from mild concussion, but he was under strict instruction to get plenty of bed rest. He wasn't about to protest. Aya felt he could crawl into his bed and not get out again.
Youji sat glumly beside him. He wanted to talk to the redhead, to make sure that he was okay after being so upset seeing Ken. But Aya was ignoring him and he wondered if he was ever going to talk to him again. It was strange though, he didn't appear to be mad at him anymore. He had just closed himself off completely after they had gotten back to his room. He knew they shouldn't have gone to check on Ken. At least not now. Not when Aya was still unstable like this.
Youji himself hadn't been prepared to see the sight of histeammate in that condition. He tried his hardest not to picture his battered body and terrible head clamps. Youji suspected that both Omi and Aya were having as hard time as he was, trying to erase that image from their mind.
"Okay, you ready?," Manx asked, tucking some papers into her shoulder bag.
Aya didn't respond immediately, his thought was a thousand miles away. But when he felt Youji's hand on his arm, he raised himself hastily.
"Oh, no, you don't," Miyuki admonished him as she approached the four of them. "It's the wheelchair until you are out of the door, young man".
Normally he would've protested for having to be wheeled out when he was perfectly able to walk, but Aya kept his mouth shut. He slumped back nto the chair and allowed Omi to pushed him out. It took only a few seconds for the idea of himself in the wheelchair and Ken to collide.
Aya grimaced inwardly when he allowed himself to contemplate the connection. He couldn't think about it now. It was just too difficult. Aya just wanted to go back to his apartment and try to block out all of the thoughts from his mind. It seemed like the only way he could escape the idea that Ken would, in all probability, be paralized.
Aya squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails cut into his palm. He concentrated on the pain rather than thinking about Ken.
~end of part 4~