"You're joking!" Miki yelled as she spat out her sandwich at lunchtime, "he was your Dad?"
"Do I look like I'm on the verge of girlish laughter?" Misaki said dully as she poked at her lunch.
Misaki had returned to the school the day after the event at her father's place and had finished telling Miki about what her mother running out of time and the identity of Trunks Briefs.
"I guess not,' muttered Miki, "but now I kinda see the resemblance between the two of you."
"Ehh? What do you mean Miki?" Misaki asked, confused.
"Well, think about it," Miki said, turning to face Misaki in the cafeteria seat, "you both have lavender hair. That hair colour isn't a common sight these days, and you both have the same eyes."
"I guess," Misaki admitted. But to tell the truth, she had never really thought about it.
"Mum I'm home!" Misaki called up the stairs, expecting her mother's chirpy reply.
But it didn't come.
"Mum?" Misaki called again. Suddenly sense of dread had formed in the pit of her stomach.
Misaki left her school bag and raced upstairs. She checked each and every room without success.
Now getting very concerned, Misaki ran back downstairs. And looked at all the rooms there.
When she entered the living room, fear almost tore her heart to pieces. Lying on the floor next to her wheelchair, was Ryo. Eyes closed and not moving.
***************************************************
Misaki jumped out of the back of the ambulance as it arrived at the hospital and ran after the paramedics as they raced her mother down the hospital corridors and into an operating theatre.
Misaki was about to go in after them but was cut off by a nurse in front of the door.
"Sorry dear," the nurse said, "I'm afraid you can't go in there while the doctors are looking at the patient."
"But that's my mum," Misaki pleaded.
"Sorry," the nurse repeated, this time more sternly, "but no visitors allowed. Now be a good girl and take a seat in the waiting room."
Misaki had no choice but to obey and headed back to the waiting room. But before she sat down she remembered something. 'Ritsuko!' she suddenly thought and headed to the pay phone.
She picked up the receiver and dialed Ritsuko's mobile phone number since she would be working late that night.
But much to Misaki's despair, her phone was switched off.
After leaving a message on the mobile, Misaki dialed her home phone number. The phone continued to ring until the answering machine kicked in. Leaving a message there too in case Ritsuko didn't check her phone, Misaki replaced the receiver and took a seat in the waiting room.
The waiting room was considerably empty with only a few sick people staring at the TV set. Slowly Misaki started to doze off.
She didn't realize how late it was getting until the nurse who had stopped her from going with her mother shook her out of her doze and started to talk to her.
"It's getting pretty late hun," the nurse said kindly, "and it doesn't look like the doctors wont be finished with your mum for a while. Don't you think that you should get somebody to take you home?"
"Ok," Misaki said, slowly waking up, "I'll go call someone."
Misaki walked back over to the pay phone and tried to call her aunt again. Again, there was no response on either her mobile or the home phone.
Misaki hung up and sighed. She was in trouble. Miki had gone away with her family for the weekend and Ritsuko wasn't answering her phone. That meant no one could come and pick her up.
Assuming that she was going to have to stay at the hospital overnight, Misaki dug in her pockets to see if she had enough money left for the snack machine down the hall.
She pulled her hand back out and produced some more money and a piece of paper. Frowning, she unfolded it and looked to see what it was.
It was her father's phone number and address that she had taken from the phone table yesterday. Then a thought ran across Misaki's mind.
'It's better than being here all night,' she reasoned with herself and put some more coins in the phone and dialed the number.
With her heart in her throat, Misaki waited nervously as the phone rang. The phone rang a few more times before a man's voice answered.
"Hello Trunks speaking," he said.
Misaki was so nervous for a minute that she couldn't speak. She then managed to pull herself together.
"Hi it's Misaki," she managed to say shakily.
"Oh hi!" Trunks said, sounding surprised, "listen I'm so sorry about yesterday..." and he started to launch into a huge apology.
"Err sorry Dad," she said, a little surprised by hearing herself say 'dad', "but I need you to come and pick me up from the hospital."
"The hospital? What's wrong?" he asked, sounding concerned.
"I don't know. The doctors are still with Mum and I'm not allowed to see her. And since I can't get through to Ritsuko, I had to call you. Sorry." Misaki explained.
"Don't worry Misaki," he father said, "I'll be over soon."
They ended their conversation and Misaki went back to the waiting room.
She started to watch the TV but soon she became so tired that she laid down on the empty row of seats and went to sleep.
***************************************************
Trunks pushed open the glass doors of the hospital and walked over to the waiting room. When he got there he looked around for Misaki without success.
He saw some elderly people in one corner and a young woman with a small child in another, but he couldn't see his kid anywhere.
Suddenly a tuff of lavender hair sticking up over the end of a row of chairs caught his eye.
He casually walked over and looked down over the seats.
There lay Misaki, curled up in a ball, fast asleep.
Trunks smiled at how cute she looked when she was asleep before he picked her up. He did it slowly and carefully in order not to wake her up.
Misaki snuggled into his chest and continued to sleep. Trunks carried her out to his car and placed her on the backseat before driving home.
"Do I look like I'm on the verge of girlish laughter?" Misaki said dully as she poked at her lunch.
Misaki had returned to the school the day after the event at her father's place and had finished telling Miki about what her mother running out of time and the identity of Trunks Briefs.
"I guess not,' muttered Miki, "but now I kinda see the resemblance between the two of you."
"Ehh? What do you mean Miki?" Misaki asked, confused.
"Well, think about it," Miki said, turning to face Misaki in the cafeteria seat, "you both have lavender hair. That hair colour isn't a common sight these days, and you both have the same eyes."
"I guess," Misaki admitted. But to tell the truth, she had never really thought about it.
"Mum I'm home!" Misaki called up the stairs, expecting her mother's chirpy reply.
But it didn't come.
"Mum?" Misaki called again. Suddenly sense of dread had formed in the pit of her stomach.
Misaki left her school bag and raced upstairs. She checked each and every room without success.
Now getting very concerned, Misaki ran back downstairs. And looked at all the rooms there.
When she entered the living room, fear almost tore her heart to pieces. Lying on the floor next to her wheelchair, was Ryo. Eyes closed and not moving.
***************************************************
Misaki jumped out of the back of the ambulance as it arrived at the hospital and ran after the paramedics as they raced her mother down the hospital corridors and into an operating theatre.
Misaki was about to go in after them but was cut off by a nurse in front of the door.
"Sorry dear," the nurse said, "I'm afraid you can't go in there while the doctors are looking at the patient."
"But that's my mum," Misaki pleaded.
"Sorry," the nurse repeated, this time more sternly, "but no visitors allowed. Now be a good girl and take a seat in the waiting room."
Misaki had no choice but to obey and headed back to the waiting room. But before she sat down she remembered something. 'Ritsuko!' she suddenly thought and headed to the pay phone.
She picked up the receiver and dialed Ritsuko's mobile phone number since she would be working late that night.
But much to Misaki's despair, her phone was switched off.
After leaving a message on the mobile, Misaki dialed her home phone number. The phone continued to ring until the answering machine kicked in. Leaving a message there too in case Ritsuko didn't check her phone, Misaki replaced the receiver and took a seat in the waiting room.
The waiting room was considerably empty with only a few sick people staring at the TV set. Slowly Misaki started to doze off.
She didn't realize how late it was getting until the nurse who had stopped her from going with her mother shook her out of her doze and started to talk to her.
"It's getting pretty late hun," the nurse said kindly, "and it doesn't look like the doctors wont be finished with your mum for a while. Don't you think that you should get somebody to take you home?"
"Ok," Misaki said, slowly waking up, "I'll go call someone."
Misaki walked back over to the pay phone and tried to call her aunt again. Again, there was no response on either her mobile or the home phone.
Misaki hung up and sighed. She was in trouble. Miki had gone away with her family for the weekend and Ritsuko wasn't answering her phone. That meant no one could come and pick her up.
Assuming that she was going to have to stay at the hospital overnight, Misaki dug in her pockets to see if she had enough money left for the snack machine down the hall.
She pulled her hand back out and produced some more money and a piece of paper. Frowning, she unfolded it and looked to see what it was.
It was her father's phone number and address that she had taken from the phone table yesterday. Then a thought ran across Misaki's mind.
'It's better than being here all night,' she reasoned with herself and put some more coins in the phone and dialed the number.
With her heart in her throat, Misaki waited nervously as the phone rang. The phone rang a few more times before a man's voice answered.
"Hello Trunks speaking," he said.
Misaki was so nervous for a minute that she couldn't speak. She then managed to pull herself together.
"Hi it's Misaki," she managed to say shakily.
"Oh hi!" Trunks said, sounding surprised, "listen I'm so sorry about yesterday..." and he started to launch into a huge apology.
"Err sorry Dad," she said, a little surprised by hearing herself say 'dad', "but I need you to come and pick me up from the hospital."
"The hospital? What's wrong?" he asked, sounding concerned.
"I don't know. The doctors are still with Mum and I'm not allowed to see her. And since I can't get through to Ritsuko, I had to call you. Sorry." Misaki explained.
"Don't worry Misaki," he father said, "I'll be over soon."
They ended their conversation and Misaki went back to the waiting room.
She started to watch the TV but soon she became so tired that she laid down on the empty row of seats and went to sleep.
***************************************************
Trunks pushed open the glass doors of the hospital and walked over to the waiting room. When he got there he looked around for Misaki without success.
He saw some elderly people in one corner and a young woman with a small child in another, but he couldn't see his kid anywhere.
Suddenly a tuff of lavender hair sticking up over the end of a row of chairs caught his eye.
He casually walked over and looked down over the seats.
There lay Misaki, curled up in a ball, fast asleep.
Trunks smiled at how cute she looked when she was asleep before he picked her up. He did it slowly and carefully in order not to wake her up.
Misaki snuggled into his chest and continued to sleep. Trunks carried her out to his car and placed her on the backseat before driving home.