RyuXHayato FF – 2,247 words (about)
If history could be rewritten…
Part 9: A Change Of Luck
"He was awake for a while, but we have him sedated now to help him rest," the doctor explained. "He told us that we were to inform you of everything and no one else. Because he is legally of age, we have no choice but to do as he says." His tone made it clear that the doctor felt not involving parents was a bad idea. Hayato knew better. With a sigh the doctor sat down on one of the chairs and motioned for Hayato to join him. Sitting, the boy waited for the doctor to being speaking.
"Right now we have him patched up pretty well," the man began. "He'll need to stay in the hospital until at least tomorrow, but after that he should be able to go home and rest, granted he doesn't try to go anywhere or do anything strenuous, there shouldn't be any lasting damage." Hayato nodded. "He suffered multiple fractures to his ribs including the most severe break which actually punctured the lung as well as the skin. We were able to mend this through surgery. He'll have a nasty scar where the bone broke through the skin, but we operated through the same opening so there should but little scarring otherwise." The doctor paused his recitation and Hayato struggled to contain his irritation at the delay. Come on, he thought. Tell me everything. This guy is really important to me, can't you see that?
"His nose was also broken; it has been realigned," the doctor continued. "He also suffered some damage to the internal organs, thankfully nothing worse than some minor abrasions and bruising. The other fractures were not severe: several to the fingers on both the right and left hand, his left hip and shoulder were both chipped, and his right arm is broken. Other than muscular bruising and surface injuries, that looks like the extent of it." Hayato nodded his head, lost in thought. I can't believe he lived through that.
"Your friend," the man began again, startling Hayato out of his trance, "said his name is Odagiri? He gave us the number of his family's insurance company, assuring us that his parents would pay for everything." He seemed to be waiting for Hayato to confirm this. Feeling trapped, Hayato just stayed silent, hoping that would suffice. "He told us he fell down the stairs," the doctor pronounced, sounding as if he didn't believe a word of it. Momentarily stunned, Hayato finally recovered and nodded, trying to seem convincing.
"Can I see him now?" he asked, eager to change the subject. The doctor sighed again.
"He's resting now." Again, his tone implied how he really felt about two young boys coming into the emergency room first thing in the morning without contacting their parents.
"I won't bother him, I promise," Hayato said forcefully, standing up to his full and considerable height. He appreciated everything the doctor had done for Ryu, but he wasn't about to allow this man keep him from seeing him.
"Tch." Without another word, the surgeon led Hayato through the emergency room doors. Exiting the emergency wing through another set of doors, they turned down a long hallway, walking until they came to a stop outside a plain looking door. "He's doing well enough that we moved him to the regular patient care ward. Make sure to let him rest; he shouldn't wake for some time as it is. A nurse will be down in a while to give him some more painkillers." Turning on his heel, the doctor walked off with an air of disapproval.
Quietly pushing the door open, Hayato saw that Ryu's name had been written on the front. Closing it softly behind him, he crept into the dark room, barely able to distinguish the outline of Ryu on a bed against the wall. Taking a seat in a chair next to the bed, Hayato leaned back and waited. Before he knew it, he was asleep again.
Relieved of his fear that Ryu would die at any minute, Hayato was able to sleep peacefully and stayed just as unconscious as the boy next to him, until the nurse came in. Startled awake by the noise, Hayato looked around and saw her replacing Ryu's IV with a new one. As she checked something off of the patient's chart, she made a face. Not liking what he saw, Hayato stood up, startling her. The room was still dark.
"Oh, excuse me," she whispered. "I didn't realize anyone else was in here." Slightly flustered, she placed Ryu's chart back in its slot at the foot of the bed. Ryu remained asleep.
"Why were you frowning?" Hayato asked abruptly, forgetting to whisper.
"Shhh!" the nurse admonished him, motioning for him to follow her out into the hall. With a final glance at the sleeping boy, Hayato backed out of the room and quietly closed the door. "Are you the one who's receiving all of his information?" she asked skeptically.
"That's right," Hayato replied evenly. Regardless of what anyone thought, he was the person best suited to caring for Ryu right now. "What is it you were frowning about?" he repeated.
"Oh, that!" the nurse exclaimed, embarrassed. "It's nothing." Hayato raised his eyebrows disbelievingly. I will not be kept in the dark about ANYTHING, he thought defiantly. Not anymore. Not when it comes to Ryu. He crossed his arms and, seeming to notice his expression, the nurse hurried to explain.
"It's just that I've been a nurse in this hospital a very long time." Hayato nodded; she looked it. "And I have to say, I've never met a patient with worse luck than that boy in there." She pointed at Ryu's door and Hayato felt his stomach drop several inches.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his mouth suddenly dry. This time it was the nurse who raised her eyebrows.
"Falling down stairs?" she asked skeptically. "The first time I changed that child's IV, he was ten and lying in that room just like he is now. Except that time he had fallen off the top of a jungle gym at the park." Hayato swallowed hard, not sure what to think. "That's not all," she continued. "Once, about three years ago, he was hospitalized for a car accident, and a year later he suffered similar injuries from a bike accident. Let me tell you," she finished, starting to walk away, "I don't know what he did in his past life to make the gods hate him so much, but they sure put a nasty curse on him in this one. If he keeps having accidents like this, he'll be dead before he's twenty." Shaking her head, the nurse disappeared around the corner.
It took Hayato several minutes to register what the nurse had said. Walking back into Ryu's room, he sat down again, lost in thought. So this isn't the first time, for any of this, he realized. It's just too much of a coincidence that he would have had all those accidents. I don't believe it for a second; it's definitely his father's doing. I can't believe he's been living like this for YEARS! Why hasn't he told the authorities, or anyone for that matter? Hayato was determined to discuss everything with Ryu when he woke up. For the time being, however, he waited silently.
When almost two full hours had passed and Ryu still hadn't waken up, Hayato decided to call his house and let his brother know he wouldn't be home for awhile. Stepping out in to the hall, he dialed the number and waited for Taku to pick up.
"Moshi mosh," came a sleepy voice from the other end. "Hayato?"
"Taku, you were still sleeping? Just because dad and I aren't home doesn't mean you can just laze around all day! Get up and make yourself something to eat, ok? I won't be coming home for awhile."
"How's your friend?" his brother asked. "Is he ok? He looked pretty bad last night."
"He's going to be fine," Hayato assured him. "The doctors said he would be able to leave the hospital by tomorrow if all goes well. I'm planning on staying until then. Can you take care of yourself for today?"
"Oniisan," Taku whined, "I'm not such a little kid that I can't take care of myself for one day!"
"Well good," Hayato replied. "Then can you do something else for me as well? Set up a pallet on the floor in my room, ok? I'm gonna bring Ryu back to our house tomorrow and he'll stay in my room. I'll sleep on the floor."
"O-ok," Taku said, stifling a yawn. "Ja na." Hayato hung up, shaking his head, amused. Turning around he snuck back into the Ryu. The sun was starting to brighten up the room so Hayato went over to the window to close the blinds more tightly. When he was finished, he turned around and saw that Ryu was awake, watching him silently.
"Hey," he whispered in a scratchy voice. "You stayed."
"Shhh. Don't strain yourself," Hayato said sternly. "And of course I stayed!" He was honestly a little shocked that Ryu had expected he would leave. Instead the boy smiled, clearly glad he had company. Hayato pulled his chair up close to the bed and sat back down, returning the grin with one of his own.
"So how long have I been asleep?" Ryu asked.
"Almost three hours," Hayato told him. "You really should get some more rest. Do you want me to get the nurse?" He frowned, remembering his conversation from earlier. Ryu shook his head.
"I'm fine." He shifted around beneath his blankets, wincing a little as he felt his side. "Did they tell you everything?" he inquired.
"Yes," Hayato said, suddenly serious. "Ryu, we need to talk." The smaller boy's smile slipped a little at the thought. Hayato continued, ignoring him. "I heard from the staff that this isn't the first time you've been hospitalized. Are you going to try and convince me that those were just falls and accidents too?" Ryu hesitated, then shook his head. The time for hiding things from Hayato was far behind them.
I can trust him with this, he told himself. If he hasn't guessed already. Ryu licked his lips and coughed a bit to clear his throat.
"It was my dad," he confessed, staring at his hands. "When I was ten, it was the first time things were bad enough that I needed to go to the hospital. After that he kept away from me for awhile, but not too long. It just kept getting worse as I got older. Sometimes my mom would bring me here; sometimes I was able to bring myself." He looked up at Hayato. "This is the first time anyone else has found out." Hayato was unsurprised, though infuriated by what he heard. Ryu noticed his face growing red and placed his bandaged hand on his friend's arm. Taking a deep breath, Hayato closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. This was not the time or place to get mad.
"They said you would be well enough to leave tomorrow afternoon," Hayato told him. "My brother is setting up space for you to stay at my house. Is that ok?" He waited, unsure. Ryu thought for a moment.
"Ok." He was glad to know he had somewhere he could go other than his own house, at least for a few days. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Hayato assured him quickly. "In fact, if you had refused, I was planning on dragging you there anyway." Ryu smiled again. Leaning forward, Hayato reached up and brushed a strand of hair from Ryu's eyes. Kissing his own fingers, he pressed them lightly to Ryu's lips; an indirect kiss. Fluttering his eyelashes comically, Ryu pursed his lips.
"What?" he asked. "I don't get a real kiss?"
"Nope," Hayato replied, smirking. "Not until I'm sure I won't hurt you." Ryu, about to protest, was silenced by Hayato's fingers on his mouth again. He looked at the injured boy sternly. Sighing in disappointment, Ryu pouted.
The rest of the day was uneventful. Ryu rested on and off as did Hayato and both boys slept in the room that night. At first Ryu had protested, saying that Hayato needed to go home and relax, but the look he received upon making this comment made him drop the subject for good. The following day was spent getting ready for Ryu to leave and he had to have several tests and examinations before the doctors said he was fit to return home. When everything was finished, Hayato called a taxi to take them home, unwilling to listen to Ryu's vehement claims that he could walk back just fine.
"You are absolutely not walking half way across the city when you just had surgery two days ago!" he insisted loudly. After that, Ryu meekly allowed himself to be helped into the cab and driven to Hayato's house. Quickly paying the fare as they arrived, Hayato hurried around the car to help Ryu up the stairs and into his tiny apartment. Sighing as he closed the door, Hayato turned around to find Taku standing directly in front of them, a huge grin on his face.
"Okairi," he said delightedly, holding out a plate of singed cookies in welcome.
