Chapter ten

Elle: Ayafangirl, this chapter is four you.

Rukia lost the bet.

The next day I was feeling better and she walked with me up to the ICU to see Ichigo. Toshiro had been moved into a regular care unit and since his room was on the way I stopped in to bother the white haired captain.

He was sitting up and Momo was fast asleep with her head resting comfortably on his chest. I didn't stay long. Just long enough to pop in and say hi.

I refused to wear a hospital gown and let my backside hang out for all to see. I had argued with Amy, who was working as Carlisle's assistant, this morning. First about seeing Ichigo then ten seconds later when I pulled on a pair of red flannel lumberjack plaid pajama bottoms and a black tank top. They were the most comfortable pants I owned and they said 'volleyball' on the left thigh. Amy left the room when I pulled on my pink socks with the bunnies on them. Rukia had given them to me as a get well present. They were the kind of socks that had the rubber traction thingies on them.

When I got up to the floor I saw Ed and Jake. Ed was dragging Jake by the collar and he looked worse for wear. No doubt Ed was bringing Jake back to the Cullen's house so he could shower and eat a proper meal. God knows he needed it. Jake and Ed had a father/son like relationship. So it was quite amusing to see them interact.

"Jules is with him now," Ed said pulling Jake away. I nodded. The SRU was a family and now they had swelled out to include us. It meant a lot to me that even as Ed was dragging Jake away, they never left Ichigo alone.

I walked inside slowly. Rukia said she'd stay outside but I asked her to come in with me. She was one of Ichigo's best friends and I wasn't about to leave her out.

How often had I ignored the 'he's gonna look different' speech? I couldn't remember but when I saw Ichigo for the first time my own heart nearly flat lined. Nearly every inch of him was covered in wires tubes and bandages. Jules got up out of her chair and with the help of Rukia guided me into it. Neither of them left. I needed them for support.

I wanted to say something to Ichigo, let him know that I was there but my voice got caught in my throat. I settled for brushing my fingertips against his hand. I reached up and brushed his hair off his forehead and kissed it gently. He didn't stir and was impossible to tell from the dead.

I couldn't help it now and I let the tears fall out of my eyes onto my lap. Rukia pulled up another chair and sat down next to me. Her violet eyes were swimming. I had never seen this kind of emotion out of Rukia before and next moment we were both crying. Jules came over and sat between us. Like an older sister she pulled both of us into her and put up with us as we used her shoulders and tissues.

Ichigo looked so breakable under all the wires and tubes and that was what pushed me at least to my breaking point. I had seen Ichigo do some stupid things and emerge nearly cut in half and pull through. But that was before I had started dating him. He hadn't been in the hospital that long though.

Why? I asked myself. If he had been nearly cut in half and came out a day later running away from Kenpachi Zaraki then why was he so lifeless now?

"Division four," I muttered to myself. That was the answer. I only had humans look at him; Carlisle had given me his option because he didn't know healing kido like Soul Reapers. In my own grief I had forgotten all about the fact that Soul Reapers in Division Four knew how to use their kido to heal people. Rukia sat up and looked at me as if my utterance had solved all our problems.

"Division four," she repeated.

"Division four?" Jules asked.

"Division four," I said almost jubilantly. "These are Soul Reaper injuries and we've had humans look at them."

I felt lightheaded again and sat down in my chair and let the feeling pass over me. I couldn't believe that I had been so dumb as to overlook the obvious. Rukia had pulled out her Soul pager and was typing into it wiping tears from her eyes. Jules sat there looking confused.

~*~*~*~*~

~Amy~

"My name is Hanataro Yamada," I peered over the top of the stack I was holding. Yamada wasn't part of the squad sent here so what the hell was he doing here?

"Yamada," I asked annoyed putting the stack down at the nurses' station. They gave me dirty looks which I ignored. "What the hell are you doing here?"

His tall eyes shifted a little. Yamada was always nervous around his superiors and I was no exception.

"Ms. Kuchiki asked me to take a look at one of her friends," Hanataro said as if he was revealing a big secret. I guess I gave him an annoyed look because he added quickly. "It was on Captain Uchimani's orders."

Now everything made sense. Risa had called Hanataro wanting a second opinion and quite frankly I was surprised she didn't do it sooner. Wait a minute, why the hell would she call Yamada? Surely in a situation like this she'd want nothing less than Retsu Unohana the captain of Division Four? Then again she was Risa and Risa never really complied with the rules. I reached over the stack and pulled a visitor's pass from the pile at the nurse's station along with a pen and scribbled the words "Hanataro Yamada 369" in the appropriate spaces. I unpeeled the sticker from the backing and stuck it to his forehead. He looked at me for a second and repositioned the sticker on his shirt.

"Go work your magic boy," I said waving him on in the right direction.