So this one was literally spawned because I was watching hospital shows yesterday lol. Also someone requested a scene with Mai in the hospital and I put a different twist on the request. This didn't turn out exactly how I had planned it but I love it and hope you all will too! Enjoy!
10-Grateful
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
He had refused to sit down. For a little bit, he had taken to pacing, but now he settled for glaring at the door. It was taking too long. And he was feeling guilty for it. If only he had taken her here sooner.
"Naru, it's just a stomach bug, I'll be fine. Go take Gene to the park, he's supposed to play with Yukie and Haru."
It was hard to believe it was only a few short hours ago that she said that and curled herself up in their bed. She hadn't been feeling great the day before, her stomach was cramping and pain seemed to spread to her lower abdomen. Naru had tried to get her to get checked out, but she was sure it was just an ovarian cyst. She had had one before and the pain was similar.
Once she started puking and came down with a fever, she was certain she just had a stomach bug. Michiru had it the week before. It had to be that. It just had to be. So she popped a couple of Tylenol and prayed that she could keep it down and curled up in her bed.
He never should have believed her. Never should have left her. He should have just had Keiko pick up Gene so that he could take Mai to the doctor. He was lucky that Keiko had followed him home to say hi to Mai. At least she could look after Gene.
Thank God he didn't see Mai like that, Naru told himself. He had come home to find Mai had thrown up again in the waste bin and she was curled up in such a tight ball, whimpering.
"Keiko, I need you to look after Gene for a bit," he had said when he came out of the bedroom after calling an ambulance. There was no way he was going to be able to get the woman out of their apartment. Judging by the look she gave him, she seemed to understand the emotion behind the calm exterior and led Gene out with her own son, Haru.
"Let me know when you know something," she had said as she left with the two little boys.
That was almost three hours ago, he thought bitterly. He drummed his fingers against his thigh, proving to the nurses and doctors passing by how impatient the man was. But it was really to help keep his hands from shaking. He hated when he couldn't control the situation.
The only thing he hated more than situations he had no control over, were situation where he could have controlled. Well, at least a little more control. Had he gotten her to the hospital sooner, she wouldn't still be in surgery.
An appendectomy shouldn't be taking this long… He gripped the two rings in his fist. A nurse had given them to him right after Mai had been wheeled in for surgery.
"I thought you might want to hold onto these," the nurse had said. "I didn't want them to get damaged or lost, but don't worry, this procedure is very simple and common. She'll be out in under an hour."
And that was almost two hours ago, he remembered. What is taking so long?
"Any word?" He wasn't surprised to hear the voice of his longtime friend. No. It just meant that there would soon be another seven or so people piled into the waiting area of the operating room.
Naru never took his gaze off of the door. It was as though he was willing it to open with news of his wife. Preferably good. "It's been two hours. She shouldn't still be in there."
"Takigawa called me, Ayako's doing everything she can to find out what's going on," Lin explained, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "She'll pull through, Oliver, she's too strong to let something like this take her out."
But that was just it. This wasn't what was supposed to take her out. The girl had been to Hell and back, literally and figuratively. Their job was dangerous sometimes. Sometimes it was a miracle that they came home alive let alone unscathed. Mai had been sent to the hospital on a few occasions because of a malicious spirit, but that wasn't what might take her out for good this time.
He shouldn't be so worried, he knew. Mai had actually been through worse. But it didn't reassure him in the slightest. It made him even more terrified.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
He wasn't supposed to be so afraid of losing her. He wasn't supposed to believe that was ever an option again. Mai had been through enough. She wasn't supposed to get sick like this. He wasn't supposed to sit on the sidelines again and watch helplessly.
But that was all he could do.
Yasuhara had arrived. Monk must have called everyone. Guess that was the perk to having a wife who worked at the hospital your surrogate sister was sent to. Soon Ayako walked out of the doors that Naru had been glaring. He managed to soften his glare when she saw him. But she shook her head. "Because I know her they won't tell me anything. She's still in surgery but it looked like they were wrapping up. The doctor should be out soon." She gave a soft and hopeful smile.
Michiru and Keiko were the next to arrive. When Naru saw that Keiko had brought Gene with her, he almost lost it. "You-"
"I called her, Noll." The voice that entered the waiting area stopped the man from saying anything he shouldn't. The woman walked in holding the hand of her own child. "I figured it would just be best if we met here and checked on her. Gene will stay with us for the night."
Naru just nodded as his son squirmed his way out of Keiko's grasp and grabbed onto his leg. "Mama?" The big deep blue eyes that stared up at the man held a curiousness and innocence that he knew the boy gained from his mother.
So Naru sat down in one of the chairs and pulled the boy into his lap. He looked over to the group that had gathered in the waiting area. "Thank you," he said with a nod to Madoka and Keiko. He turned back to his son. "Mama's in there."
"Why?"
"Booboo," was all the man said. It must have been enough, because the little boy just hugged his father and held on tight. Mama wasn't supposed to get booboos.
Mai wasn't supposed to leave the two of them alone like this. They needed her.
It seemed like another hour had gone by, but it was only a few more minutes until the operating doctor walked out of the doors. He seemed to look over the group that was waiting there. "Mai Davis's family, I presume?" The entire group nodded.
It was probably thanks to a look from Ayako, but the doctor seemed to be okay with explaining the situation with the group of people who were obviously not related. "How is she?" Naru finally asked, unable to take it.
"Surgery was a success, despite some complications," the doctor finally explained.
The group all seemed to exhale in relief, but Naru wasn't deterred. "What kind of complications?"
"The appendix ruptured in the middle of the procedure, so we had to get that cleaned up. However, she is recuperating right now and should be coming out of the anesthesia momentarily. We'll be keeping her overnight to keep a close eye on any possible infection. She should be able to come home late tomorrow or the following day depending on how she's doing."
Naru let out a breath and realized Gene was still in his arms. "Can she have visitors?" he asked. The man nodded, but held up a hand.
"At the moment, I think it would be best if you only visited her two at a time."
"That's okay, I'll stop by tomorrow with Kiko," Yasuhara said with a smile and a pat on Naru's back. "I'm just glad she's okay."
"Let her know we're all thinking of her," Michiru said with a relieved smile. Keiko nodded next to her.
"Yeah, if you guys need anything just give us a call."
"Thank you," Naru managed to nod as Madoka came up to him.
"Here, I'll take Gene, he'll stay at our place tonight. We can bring him over tomorrow if Mai's up for it," she said, taking the boy out of his father's arms.
Naru managed a smile and patted the little boy's head. "Be good for Aunt Madoka, okay Gene?" The little boy nodded. "Thank you," he said to his former teacher.
"Okay, Gene, let's go home." Madoka's tuned was cheerful, but the boy in her arms was starting to get fussy.
"Mama! Mama!" he whimpered. Lin even took the squirming boy from his wife's arms, while their own child followed them out of the waiting area.
It broke Naru's heart, but he didn't want Gene to see the sight that his mother most likely was. It would just be better if he came to see her the following day.
That just left Naru with Monk and Ayako. The priestess sighed. "You two go and see her, I'll check on her in a little bit." She walked off to finish whatever tasks she had been caught up in.
The doctor led the way for the two men. They were led to a white room that seemed too bright for anyone to get any rest. In the middle lay a woman in her twenties, she was hooked up to monitors and IVs. Naru had seen a sight like this on several occasions. It didn't mean he ever got used to it.
"Davis-san? Davis-san?" the doctor called quietly as he tapped the young woman's shoulder. Her eyelids fluttered, but she was still out of it. "You have visitors."
She was still stuck in a fog and it was obvious that once she fully awoke she would still be out of it. So Monk just patted and kissed the woman's hair before turning to the younger man in the room. "I'll stop by later with Ayako, you two deserve a minute," he said before patting Naru's shoulder and leaving.
"She'll come around soon, have a seat," the doctor said after checking her vitals.
Naru sat on her left side and slipped the rings he was carrying back onto her finger. He noticed the slight indent that they had left on her skin after four years of constant wear. He brushed a lock of her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. A habit he had picked up to doing after years of sleeping in the same bed as her. It seemed to be enough for her eyes to flutter open. "N-Naru?"
He held her hand. "I'm here, Mai."
She blinked hard at the harsh lighting. "Where am I?"
"The hospital. Do you remember what happened?"
Mai thought for a second and noticed the ache in her side. "I remember being sick in bed. My side was killing me-"
"It almost did," Naru said, unknowingly tightening his grip on her hand. Mai gave him a look. "You had appendicitis."
"Well, that explains a lot," she said, trying to tease. He was not amused. At all. "What do you want me to say?"
Naru had taken to looking at the floor, but he kept his grasp on her hand.
Mai fought the urge to roll her eyes. Whenever she was hurt on a case, he always found a way to blame himself. "Don't tell me you blame yourself. And if you do, stop it. You were right and I was wrong and I'm going to be okay."
"I should have brought you here sooner," he said, his eyes finally meeting hers.
"No, I told you to play with our son and spend time with him. No one is to blame. You can stop being angsty." She grinned at her tease. He was not amused. Again.
"Mai, you could have died-"
"Because of an infection that neither of us could have predicted," she finished, giving him a hard look. "There were a couple of cases where I should be dead. But I'm not. So, for once, can you not worry and fret about what could have been, but be grateful for what is?"
That had struck a cord, maybe that was why he leaned over and kissed her head. He always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with her being right. But she definitely was this time, and he couldn't deny that. He never said it out loud, but by the look Mai gave him when he looked down at her, he knew she heard him loud and clear.
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
And that's how Naru spent the night in the hospital next to his wife. Sure, his back and neck were sore from the uncomfortable chair, but he never left her side.
So I kind of ended it abruptly, but I feel that the scene has served its purpose. This will be my last post of 2016! I hope you all enjoyed and thank you all for your support of this fic and Dangerous Souls! Happy New Year!