It's been a while but I'd like to say that even though this isn't the last chapter, I have in fact finished this story and the last chapter will be posted later today. Thanks for all your patience ^.^''' I probably wont upload stories until they are finished that way this doesn't happen again. Enjoy!
The school called first, Usagi-san was is no rush to answer it, merely assuming that his lover had found it far too uncomfortable to stay at school after the incident on the couch that morning. He casually lit a cigarette as he answered the phone, assuming it would be Misaki's voice that answered him.
"Yes?" He leaned against the wall, waiting to hear Misaki's embarrassed voice as he explained his discomfort and asked to brought home to Usagi-san. What he got instead was an equally nervous secretary who wasn't sure how to break the news she had called to tell him.
"Well, you see um...Misaki has been moved to the uh...hospital." She paused and he could tell she was holding her breath; by this time everyone knew that any negative news regarding Misaki set Usagi-san off into a bad mood, and after the fire nobody wanted to be the one to tell him that Misaki had ended up in the hospital again.
Usagi-san hung up the phone, not even bothering to answer her, he took one long drag on his cigarette before putting it out on the ashtray. Collecting his jacket and keys he didn't even bother to answer the phone when it rang again; he knew it would be the hospital calling to tell him the same news and he wasn't sure he could handle hearing it twice. As far as he knew he would walk into the hospital to find Misaki the way he was last time; a little shaken up but fine overall.
Why then was his heart struggling to beat?
There were no rules on the road that time, it wasn't even a race; Usagi-san drove straight to the hospital as fast as his car could go; he ran through a couple red lights and probably caused a lot of turmoil on the roads behind him. He would bail himself out of any tickets later, even if it cost him his entire fortune, as long as he could get to Misaki that instant he would pay anything.
He parked in the handicap spot, the fine was nothing to him, but as he was about to shut the door he remembered Misaki's chiding the first time and made sure the keys were in his pocket and the doors were locked.
"What room." Usagi-san called as he stormed into the hospital, scaring most of the people in the lobby and even frightening the nurse who was trying to reach someone on the phone; by the surprised look on her face it was probably him.
"second door on the left, down that way." She said, motioning to the hallway on her left, Usagi-san swerved down that way and headed straight for the door. Misaki's friend wasn't outside the door to stop him from entering, but he also wasn't there to tell him that everything was only minor. Usagi-san paused at the door, listening for a cough to tell him things weren't as bad as he thought, but he heard nothing. Swallowing his fear he opened the door.
Lying on the bed, clothed in the traditional patient's gown and seemingly sleeping, was Misaki. His Misaki. Hooked up to machines that announced his heart beat, his blood pressure, and his breathing; and IV running into his left hand that dripped occasionally adding to chorus of beeping the machines provided. Usagi-san couldn't move, he was having a hard time processing what his eyes were seeing, and his brain seemed to be trying to break the news to his heart that something was very wrong with Misaki.
He walked over the the chair that was already placed at his bedside, as if it had been waiting for him this entire time, sitting down he looked at Misaki's face and wondered if the peacefulness he saw there was a reflection of how Misaki was feeling inside right now, or only a mask to hide the pain. He gently grasped the hand that was free from cords and IV's, holding it tenderly in his two larger ones, feeling how cold the boy's skin was and his heart squeeze in response.
"Misaki..." He meant to say something more, though he didn't know what, but the door opened admitting a female doctor who was must younger than the doctor Misaki had been attended to before. He felt jealousy at first, she was admittedly very pretty, but the wedding band on her finger did much to soothe his anxiety about her tending to Misaki.
"You must be Usagi, I'm Doctor Hana." She didn't extend her hand in welcome, noticing that his were busy holding Misaki, she smiled sympathetically and walked to the other side of the bed, reading the machines. "His vitals are all stable, though his breathing does become shallow at some times; you shouldn't worry though, this machine will breathe for him in case he stops." She looked at Usagi-san and gently smiled, "that is the worst case scenario though, and rather unlikely in his case."
"What's wrong with him?" Usagi-san asked, taking his eyes off Misaki to meet the doctor's, she stared at him for a few minutes before she leaned against the window. The room was a little darker than Usagi-san was used to but it added a calming feeling to the room and he supposed that would be nice for Misaki.
"He's in a coma, induced by the carbon dioxide poisoning he received from smoke inhalation. It's actually quite common among patients who have been in a fire, though it's nearly impossible to tell which ones will develop it and which ones will be perfectly fine." She looked at him, studying his reaction and though Usagi-san thought he did well to hide it she seemed to know what he was thinking. "There's nothing that can be done to prevent it, and no way to tell if it will happen. Neither of you would have been able to do anything but wait and see if he recovers."
"Will he recover?" Usagi-san asked, hoping his voice was steady though he himself felt like he would break if the answer was bad.
"There's no definite way to tell, but as far as I've been able to see he's not in any danger of a permanent coma." She walked to the door, "he just needs some rest." Her heard her turn the knob,
"Can he hear me?" Usagi-san heard himself ask, wanting to know the answer though he knew he would speak to the sleeping boy regardless of it.
"It's hard to tell, but worth a try." With that she left Usagi-san alone in the room with Misaki; alone with his fear that the boy would never hear him again.
"Misaki..." A few tears slipped down his cheek, uncharacteristic for the man that never cried, not even when he thought Misaki would go back with his brother and leave him alone again; at least then he knew that Misaki would be okay. Now he wasn't sure. "Misaki...don't leave." He found himself more willing to say the things he had always felt, the things that would tear him apart. "You have a bright future, and your brother would kill me if anything happened to you y'know." He squeezed Misaki's hand harder. "I can't cook or clean, and I couldn't handle having a maid in the house; who knows what they might steal. I would never reach my deadlines without you there to make sure I don't drop dead somewhere." He sobbed, biting his own lip to keep any more form coming. "Don't leave me...You can't leave me...I love you Misaki."