Battle Front: Chapter Fourteen
Kaoru went to the nurses' station and did a search on Sanosuke's name. He was on the first floor—which wasn't good. That floor was mostly reserved for ICU and the more major traumas. Though, she knew he'd suffered quite a traumatic experience being shot several times, but she'd have felt more confident if he'd been on the second floor.
Her mind was clouded by conflicting emotions. First of all, Aoshi was there! She'd literally run into him in the stairwell and her heart had almost burst with joy at seeing him. And then, not ten minutes later Enishi had kissed her—out of the blue! What was he thinking? Sure, he liked her and they were trying to see if they could tolerate each other while both parties were conscious for more than half an hour, but they weren't like together together. Were they? She needed to ask him just where they stood with one another. But then that would be one of those awkward relationship questions and they weren't actually in a relationship, right?
Or were they?
She groaned in frustration and then shut off that line of thought. There was no time to dwell on her love life or the lack thereof. She needed to focus on Sanosuke!
After writing Sano's room number on a sticky note from the counter and ignoring the nurse's annoyed glare. Kaoru hurried back toward Enishi. He hadn't moved from the window area, but was now leaning against the wall with his eyes closed instead of enjoying the scenic view. His eyes snapped open as she neared him and Kaoru couldn't help but feel transparent as he seemed to probe her with hard eyes.
"You have it?"
Kaoru lifted the sticky note and waved it like a peace flag. "He's downstairs. We can take the elevator; it's not far from here."
Enishi grunted and pushed himself away from the wall. "Guess I'm too crippled to take the stairs right now."
"You're hardly a cripple."
"Right," he said starting to make his way to the elevators.
Kaoru positioned herself to block his path. He arched a snowy white eyebrow at her in question. "Are you going to explain yourself?"she asked.
A slight frown turned the corners of his mouth down. "I'm a complicated man. You'll have to be specific in what area you are requiring an explanation."
"How about that kiss?" Kaoru asked gesturing wildly with her hands toward the window and the sight of the affront—though it wasn't an affront she minded.
"Are you wanting another demonstration? I would be happy to oblige."
"Yes! No! I mean—ugh! That's not what I meant and you know it!" Kaoru blew out a frustrated breath of air. "Why are you kissing me? We're not like together together. We're just like dating and testing the waters."
Enishi again arched an eyebrow at her. "Oh? I was under the impression we were involved."
"We are involved, but we're not in a relationship!"
"We're not?"
"I mean we're in a working relationship and we're friends and I like you, but…" she trailed off.
"But, you're not interested," he dead-panned starting to move past her. "I see."
"I didn't say that!" Kaoru hissed encircling his hand on the IV pole with her own to stop him. "I just, I don't understand you."
"I'm complicated."
"Enishi Yukishiro is complicated. Check. I got that part. But, Kaoru Kamiya is not complicated and she needs some clean-cut answers."
"Could have fooled me. You seem complicated enough."
Kaoru ran her free hand through the tail of her hair in a frustrated jerking movement. "Enishi, give me a straight answer."
"Fine. It's been a while since I've been involved with someone with an IQ above one-hundred who didn't have bleach blond hair and whom I would want to introduce to my sister one day. And then you come along with your carefree ways and caring about people even when they treat you poorly and I want something more than a good dance partner. Does that clarify everything?"
"Enishi," Kaoru said softly rubbing her thumb gently across his knuckles.
He glared down at her possessively. "But I'll be damned if I was going to let you fall for that statue Shinomori. So yes, I told him you were my girlfriend."
Kaoru's jaw slackened and her hand released his and fell to her side. "You told Aoshi?"
"Yes, and now you know," he said gripping his IV pole in a white-knuckled hold and stepping past her. "If you're done discussing your love life, I'd like to visit my friend who's been mortally wounded."
"He's not mortally wounded. That implies he's going to die and Aoshi said that Sano was recovering."
"And Aoshi is always right," Enishi muttered sarcastically. He pressed the down button outside of the elevator forcefully and repetitively.
"It's not going to come any faster if you hit it more often," Kaoru said reaching out for his hand.
Enishi snatched his hand away and focused on the elevator doors as they opened before them. "Maybe not, but it made me feel better," he said stepping inside.
OOOOOoooooOOOOO
Megumi shifted in the uncomfortable hospital chair in Sano's room. His surgery couldn't have gone better, but he still hadn't woken up. The other doctors weren't sure why. There were no false reassurances because as a doctor herself the team was stumped and had asked her for her professional opinion on the matter as well. She remained optimistic that he'd wake up soon; because the longer it took him the more negative his outcome.
She squeezed his hand hoping that this time he'd squeeze back. He didn't.
"Come on you stupid rooster head. Wake up already. I don't have time to be wasting watching you sleep. You're making me so worried I'm going to have wrinkles. You do realize the suffrage I will put you under if you give me wrinkles?" She sighed in frustration as even her threats did nothing to change his vitals.
There was a light knock at the door before it opened a crack.
"You better be decent, Sano! I don't want to have to make fun of you for embarrassing yourself," Kaoru called out before opening the door wide enough to look within the room. Her eyes focused on Sano and her playful grin vanished as she took in the seriousness of the situation. She then seemed to notice Megumi. "He's still unconscious?"
"Yeah, he's not woken up. Didn't Dr. Shinomori tell you this?" Megumi asked tiredly.
A large hand fell upon Kaoru's shoulder and she stepped further into the room allowing for Enishi to enter. His weight was heavily balanced against Kaoru while the other hand poked out of a sling and loosely gripped an IV pole.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Megumi asked in her authoritative doctor's voice.
"The warden let me out on a supervised parole," he answered in a bored monotone. His eyes landed upon Sano's unmoving form and he grimaced. "He better wake up soon. He's going to be real embarrassed to find out he's been using a bed pan."
"There are more important things than that, Yukishiro," Megumi snapped.
His pale eyes narrowed dangerously at her. "You think I don't know that? I was actually there when he got himself shot." Enishi lifted the elbow of his arm that was in the sling as evidence of his involvement in the conflict.
Kaoru tilted her head back to look at Enishi in the eyes. "There's no need for that. We're all here out of concern for Sano." She gently removed Enishi's hand from her shoulder and guided it to the back of one of the sitting chairs. Kaoru then sat on the edge of Sano's bed. She reached into her pocket for the pen she'd placed there earlier and pulled off the cap and using the long semi-sharp end to pushed it gently against the soft sole of Sanosuke's foot. It twitched slightly.
"Apparently, his nerves are working fine," Enishi observed. He focused his attention on Megumi. "Why are you here?"
Megumi's posture stiffened. "Sano and I are seeing one another. Naturally, I'm concerned."
"Hn. I thought you were being strung along by that Katsu fellow—Sagara's best friend. When did this happen?" Enishi asked.
"A few weeks before your mission. And I wasn't being strung along by Katsu. Things just didn't work out between us," Megumi said folding her arms over her chest defensively.
"By not working out you must mean that it started to bother you about his hitting on anything capable of walking on two legs," Enishi retorted cruelly. "Or even hobbling on one."
"Katsu's not that bad," a voice croaked.
"Sano!" Kaoru and Megumi cried out simultaneously. Kaoru hugged his chest and Megumi was squeezing him around the neck in her embrace.
"Can't breathe," Sano croaked blinking open his eyes.
"How do you feel?" Megumi asked with her voice laced with concern. She ignored the monitors expressing his vital signs and pressed her finger to his carotid artery to feel his pulse, it was blessedly even and strong. She pulled out her penlight and shone it in his eyes to watch his dilatory reflex. Nothing happened. "Sano, can you see me?"
"Sure, just take off these stupid bandages from over my eyes," he answered closing his eyes again.
Kaoru, Megumi, and Enishi all exchanged worried glances.
"Sano, there aren't any bandages," Kaoru said gently brushing her fingers over his closed eyelids.
"That's not an answer I wanted to hear, Missy," Sano said gruffly. "Are you sure?"
Enishi pushed Megumi aside, but not too hard, and stood at her position by Sano's head. He used his good hand to feel along Sano's temples. "Open your eyes again," he instructed.
"Why?" Megumi hissed.
"Ignore the worried females and open your eyes, Sagara," Enishi ordered impatiently.
"Sure, Captain," Sano said blinking his eyes open again. "Still can't see."
Enishi picked up the pitcher of water and handed it to Kaoru with a pointed look. She filled up the unused drinking glass with the lukewarm liquid and handed it back to Enishi. He splashed it at Sano's eyes.
"Hey!" Sano cried blinking furiously.
Enishi took the light from Megumi and flashed it back at Sano's eyes and saw the pupils react though a bit sluggishly. "You're fine. It's all the morphine that is giving your vision trouble adjusting."
Kaoru turned on the harsh florescent lights of the hospital room and Sano turned his head away abruptly.
"Alright, I'm cured. I can see. And now I'm blind again, thanks," Sano grumbled sitting up. He rolled his shoulders back and his vertebrae popped audibly. "I am so stiff."
Kaoru giggled upon catching the red blush spread across Megumi's cheek.
"Jeez, Jou-chan, no need for that dirty mind of yours!" Sano said with his familiar grin. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. "My vision still isn't that great."
"Glasses aren't the end of the world," Enishi answered sounding bored. He moved away from the head of the bed toward Kaoru. "Alright, Sagara will live. I can go back to my own room now."
"Actually, now that Sano is awake I could probably arrange for the two of you to share a room," Kaoru said with a bright smile.
"You want me to give up my private room so I can share a room with a subordinate?" Enishi asked quietly in disbelief.
"If you and Sano share a room I won't have to worry about whom to visit, because I can see you both at the same time," Kaoru reasoned.
"Yeah, it saves on resources so it's good for the environment and plus then she won't have to worry about being alone with you," Sano chipped in catching onto Kaoru's train of thought, but not being fully cognizant enough to realize which parts shouldn't have been voiced aloud.
"Fan-freaking-tastic," Enishi grumbled.
OOOOOoooooOOOOO
The kettle whistled signaling the water had reached a boiling point. Aoshi set aside the document he'd been studying to move it from the burner. He opened the container with his Blooming Tiger tea that he'd had paid high dollar to have imported to the base from back home. He set one of the tea balls in his teapot and transferred the hot water.
He watched as the Jasmine concoction unrolled as the water set in and after three minutes of staring at it blankly poured some of the precious tea into his mug and hoped it would improve his concentration. Aoshi went back to the dining room table that was doubling as his desk in his recently assigned quarters. Apparently, due to housing shortages he'd be rooming with someone by the name of Myojin, but he'd not met the Private yet.
The information on the discs had been converted into a top secret document in the form of a giant three-ring binder. It was disturbing and he found it hard to believe that with all his studies and commitments to saving human life that he'd eventually find himself trying to learn from the human experimentation of biological weapons. It was atrocious. It was the most awful thing. It was a state of national and international security!
And he couldn't retain a single word of what he was reading because his thoughts kept drifting back to a kiss he'd witnessed on the second floor window of the base hospital.