A/N: I realize this chapter is long overdue, but among being sick, working, getting ready to go back to college and having awful writer's block this chapter really did not want to get written. But here it is! Most of this chapter revolves around Isshin and what's going on inside his head because well, Ichigo is kinda out of it and well you all know what happened to Toshirou. ^^ Still, I hope everyone enjoys. :D
Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine. *sad face*
Chapter 13- Where is He?
Isshin Kurosaki had never truly realized the horrors of the waiting room until he found himself currently sitting in one such situation. Back in Shinkou he had always been on the other side the desk and had never really given it any thought about what it might feel like helplessly waiting to hear about a loved one's condition. He had always been the person to come out and break the news whether it was good or bad, so to find himself suddenly on the other side and not even knowing his son's condition had to be the most unbearable and unnerving feeling he had ever experienced in his life.
How long had it been since he, Yuzu and Karin had rushed to the hospital just to find that the only thing they were able to do was to trust the doctors and wait to see if they could save Ichigo?More hours than they could have ever wished, that's for sure. Isshin had tried to suggest for Yuzu and Karin to go home to rest and get some food because they hadn't gotten any news and he really had no idea when they would. Both girls blatantly refused, insisting that they wanted to be here the moment they found out anything, so Isshin had no choice but to agree to let them stay. However he still ended up convincing them to go get some food at the hospital cafeteria after awhile.
The first few hours that Isshin had arrived, he had been going up to the desk just about every half-hour to see if they could tell them anything, but when he noticed the nurses starting to get annoyed, he decided that it would be best just to sit and wait. Soon, his nerves were starting to get the best of him and knew that if he wanted to keep it together he was going to have to go outside and get some fresh air to clear his head. The ladies at the desk had his number and they had already promised numerous times to call him if he wasn't in and they got word from one of the doctors. Isshin had just pulled himself out of his seat and had just about reached the door when he thought he heard someone calling his name from somewhere across the room.
"Kurosaki?" A wise looking woman called out into the practically deserted waiting room. Isshin instantly turned on his heel, sprinting over to where the woman was standing.
"Do you have news on Ichigo?" Isshin asked hopefully.
"Are you Mr. Kurosaki's guardian?" The lady asked as she started looking through a small group of papers clipped to her clipboard.
"Yes, I'm his father. How is he?" Isshin asked warily, fearing the worst.
"He was in critical condition when he arrived at the hospital and had to be rushed immediately into surgery-"
"Is he going to be alright?" The eldest Kurosaki tried again, desperate for the doctor to get to the point.
"I am pleased to say that the surgery was a success and we finally were able to stabilize him. It was a bit of a surprise that he is doing as well as he is, but he isn't out of the woods yet."
"Oh thank god…" Isshin muttered as he was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief for the first time in what seemed like forever. He could feel all the tension drain out of his body and he was almost tempted to collapse on the spot, but as she had said, Ichigo wasn't completely in the clear yet. "Dr… uh, what was your name again?"
"I guess I never did introduce myself... I apologize, my name is Retsu Unohana." The female doctor lightly chuckled.
"Dr. Unohana, thank you… so much…" At this point, words were all but failing black-haired Kurosaki.
"Of course," She nodded, "It is always a good day when we are able to save a person's life. The satisfaction of being able to help people is what makes this job worthwhile." Retsu smiled before quickly finishing, "Is there anything else I can help you with before I have to leave?"
"Just one question… are we allowed to see him?"
"Well..." Unohana started say before she was interrupted by a nervous looking Karin and frantic Yuzu running towards them.
"Is Ichigo okay? Do you have any news?" Yuzu asked with an expression that showed she was on the verge of tears and whether they were tears of sorrow or tears of joy would be up to whatever the doctor would say next.
"You must be Ichigo's younger sisters." The wise woman smiled as she held out her hand to greet the Kurosaki females. "As I was just telling your father, we just finished up Ichigo's surgery, but right now he is still in post-op and I'm afraid it is going to be just a little longer until he is able to have any visitors."
"About how long are we talking?" Karin added, finally joining into the conversation.
"It all depends on how he is doing and how easily we can get him settled. I'm sorry I can't tell you anything more than that, but it's really up to him."
"Okay…" Yuzu sighed. She had hoped when her and Karin had walked in on seeing their father talking with the doctor meant that they would be able to finally see Ichigo, but at least she knew that he had managed to make it out of surgery okay and that fact would be able to get her through however long it would take to finally be able to see her big brother.
All three Kurosaki's profusely thanked Unohana before she finally had to leave, it was a big hospital after all and she was needed to help save many other lives.
"So… Ichigo is going to be all right after all?"Yuzu asked hopefully as she walked over to where he father was standing and he engulfed her in a warm, reassuring hug.
"If all goes well and continues to go well then yes Yuzu, I think he's going to be just fine." Isshin pulled away slightly so that he was able to look at Yuzu directly. "I do want you warn you though… it's going to be some time before your brother is back to his old self."
"Yea," The younger girl replied quietly. "But that's okay! Because we are going to be with him the entire time to make sure that he gets better and Toshirou too of course!" Yuzu exclaimed happily as she decided to walk back to where they had been camped out since their arrival, Karin having already gone back when she heard that they would be able to see Ichigo soon. Isshin was glad of this because then if she had stayed with him any longer, she might have noticed the odd little detail that her brother's young boyfriend was no-where to be seen and he wasn't sure he wanted to be the one to have to break it to her as to why.
Not even twenty minutes later, Retsu Unohana reappeared in the waiting room and after calling for the Kurosakis she had her usual warm smile on as he informed the family that they would finally be able to see Ichigo.
"I just want to warn you girls, your brother is still recovering from surgery and it might be awhile until he wakes up, so just be patient." Retsu said as she led the group of three through the hallways of the hospital until they arrived at a door with a small label to the side that read: I. Kurosaki. "If any of you have any questions or concerns, there is a nurse's station right at the end of this hallway." Unohana finished as he pointed down a hallway right next to them. She very quietly opened the door and put a finger up to her lips motioning for the group to be quiet as they entered the small room.
It was a very simple room, apart from the hospital bed and the teenager in it, there was a small TV hanging from the wall opposite the bed, a small side table on one side of the bed and a bunch of machines on the other side that were hooked up to Ichigo as he slept, monitoring his vitals. Other than that there were a few chairs in the room and a window opposite the door that they entered and there was also another small door that presumably led to a small bathroom; all in all it was nothing fancy, but it would do just fine.
Retsu did a quick check up to make sure that Ichigo was still doing well before leaving Isshin, Karin and Yuzu alone in the room to yet again, wait and see what would happen.
Yuzu slowly walked over to her big brother's bedside and couldn't help but let a few tears escape as she watched him sleep. There was a particularly large bandage wrapped around his head along with a cast on his left arm and Yuzu could see bandages showing from underneath the top of Ichigo's hospital clothes along with numerous smaller, yet still very noticeable cuts and bruises on his face, neck and arms. Yet despite everything, her brother looked peaceful as he slept. Please wake up soon, big brother; we're all so worried about you.
Rangiku felt something was wrong when she didn't hear anything from either Ichigo or Toshirou over the course of the entire weekend. It was unlike them to ignore her without giving a reason or making a big deal about it first, but then when a certain Isshin Kurosaki called and asked her to come to the hospital she knew without a doubt that something was indeed wrong.
What have they gotten themselves into this time? Was all Rangiku had thought on the matter as she made her way to meet Isshin at the hospital. He had asked her to meet him right outside the main entrance of the building and she couldn't help but let the worst case scenarios start running through her mind the longer she thought about them. Whatever it is, it can't be good if one of them ended up in the hospital…
When the strawberry blonde finally arrived at the hospital, she found a very exhausted Isshin and two very irritated looking girls.
"Hey guys," Rangiku greeted the threesome as she came to a stop a few feet in front of the oldest of the group. "So is anyone going to explain to me what in the world is going on?"
"First..." Isshin spoke up "I hate to ask this of you right now, but would it be possible for you to take Yuzu and Karin home really quickly…? I need to stay here, just on the off-case that Ichigo might wake up."
"Sure." Rangiku muttered as she casually motioned for the girls to follow her and got a total of about five steps before she realized exactly what Isshin had said. "Wait… Ichigo… is the one… in the hospital?" Rangiku breathed as she spun around on the spot to stare blankly at the man in front of her who hadn't moved an inch since she had arrived.
"Yeah…" Isshin nodded sadly.
"B…But why Ichigo? They're after Toshirou…" Rangiku stated uncertainly. "Aren't they…?"
"That was what I had thought, too."
"So then…?"
"I don't know…"
"What happened…?"
"Like I said… I really don't know…" Isshin replied dejectedly. "Ichigo hasn't woken up yet since he was rushed to the hospital… the only reason I even knew that Ichigo was in the hospital was because one of the hospital employees called the house."
"Wow… that's terrible." Rangiku sighed as she contemplated the current situation. "Toshirou must be going crazy with worry…" The strawberry looked around honestly expecting to see Toshirou come rushing out of the hospital any second asking what was taking so long, but maybe he just didn't want to leave his boyfriend's bedside…? That seemed like a logical excuse for the current absence of the young genius. "I'm guessing he's up in Ichigo's room…?"
Isshin said nothing and when he did, or didn't, It alarmed Rangiku to say the least. The man's demeanor seemed to change the moment that she mentioned her young friend's name; and that was never a good sign. "What happened, Mr. Kurosaki…?" She asked again, but this time she wasn't going to leave without an answer. There was something that he wasn't telling her and that she was sure of it… just not so sure of what exactly it was; though if Isshin's behavior revealed anything, it couldn't be good and more than likely concerned Toshirou's inexplicable absence.
"Once you take Yuzu and Karin home, come up to Ichigo's room and I'll tell you everything I know. Oh, and the room is 425."
"Fineee." Rangiku sighed dramatically despite the gravity of the situation as she ushered the young girls towards the parking lot exit, now very anxious to get them home so that she could return and hopefully try and figure out what the heck was going on.
"I can see why you didn't want to get your daughters involved in all this." Rangiku stated, now sitting in one of the vacant chairs in Ichigo's hospital room. "How much do they actually know…?"
"Not much…" Isshin sighed. "They know about Ichigo's past with his old gang back in the city, but Toshirou is a completely different story… they know that he's been running into trouble with some thugs, but that's about it. Yuzu seems convinced, but in regards to Karin… she's a stubborn girl and I'm not really sure how much she really believes."
"Well, I guess it's for the best right now… we wouldn't want them getting involved in this anymore than they already are." Rangiku agreed as her gaze shifted towards the still unresponsive strawberry. "So you're saying that the people who found Ichigo said that Toshirou wasn't at the scene?"
"That's what they say." Isshin grunted.
"Well then that's good, right?"
Isshin lifted his head so that he was staring directly into Rangiku's eyes. "You've known Toshirou and what he's been going through longer than anyone… do you really think that he would just disappear without a trace if something big didn't happen to him…?"
Rangiku was silent for a few moments, trying to think about everything that had taken place recently and not to mention the huge change she saw in her young friend since he had become involved with Ichigo… or rather Ichigo's insistence to have the genius boy in his life despite the troubles he faced. "I get what you're saying Mr. Kurosaki, but then that leaves the question, if Toshirou really was with Ichigo the night of the crash, which I'm betting he was, then one, why wasn't he there when the paramedics arrived and also, where is he now?"
"Something must have happened in the time between the actual crash and when the authorities arrived..." Isshin concluded and Rangiku nodded. "But what exactly happened is the question, isn't it?"
Both Rangiku and Isshin fell silent yet again realizing that they were no closer to finding out what had happened than when Isshin had first arrived at the hospital. Although they had hopefully figured out a few things that could have happened, in the end they were only assumptions with no tangible proof to back them up.
"If only Ichigo would wake up…" Rangiku muttered sadly. "I'm sure he would be able to tell us what happened and hopefully even what happened to Toshirou…"
"I guess Ichigo is our only chance then… and we're just going to have to wait until he wakes up to see if he knows anymore than we do." Isshin replied quietly as he slowly walked over to Ichigo's bedside before again taking a seat and giving Ichigo's left hand a light, but reassuring squeeze hoping that his son would wake up so he could hopefully straighten this whole mess out.
After a few hours Rangiku finally left the hospital; but instead of going home, she was on her way back to the Kurosaki household. Isshin had felt guilty that Yuzu and Karin were alone at the house so he had asked Rangiku to go check in on them. The girls had become somewhat of little sisters to her, especially Yuzu. Rangiku even volunteered to stay the night with the girls and promised to make sure that they got up the next morning and got ready and out of the house in time to get to school. Isshin made a mental note to himself that after all this was over he was going to have to find a way to thank the strawberry blonde.
After school had gotten out and after many promises to keep him informed, Isshin finally left the hospital for what had to be the first time since Ichigo had been brought in. Although he knew Rangiku would deny it, he knew that she probably wanted some time to herself and asking her to stay another night with the girls was completely out of the question.
"Welcome home, dad!" Yuzu practically screamed when she saw her father walk through the front door. "How's Ichigo doing? Has he woken up yet?"
Isshin shook his head slowly. "He's doing fine, but unfortunately no, he hasn't woken up yet. You remember his doctor, Dr. Unohana, though right?"
"Of course! She was really nice."
"Well, last time she came to check on your brother she said that he was healing nicely and that hopefully he should be waking up fairly soon."
"That's great!" The young blonde exclaimed, "Does that mean that Karin and I can come visit him again soon?" she asked hopefully.
Isshin couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. "I think that's a pretty good possibility."
"So what are we waiting for then?" Karin asked, obviously rather annoyed at the fact that they weren't already rushing out the door and back to the hospital.
"Karin, calm down," Isshin insisted. "As of right now, Ichigo is still unconscious; but the nurses promised to notify me immediately if Ichigo's condition changes."
"Fine…" Karin muttered before disappearing from the room. "You better tell me if someone from the hospital calls about Ichigo!" The tomboyish Kurosaki called from the top of the stairs.
The next few hours passed by very slowly as Yuzu and Isshin tried to relax and try to past the time by a little quicker by watching some TV and before they knew it, it was almost ten at night.
"Yuzu, why don't you head off to bed? These past few days have been really tough and I'm sure you're exhausted."
"But daaaad…!" Yuzu whined as her father started guiding her out of the room and up the stairs to her bedroom that she shared with Karin.
After getting both of his girls ready for and tucked into bed, Isshin tried to follow suit. It would be nice for a change to actually be able to sleep in his own bed and not have to attempt to make do with the uncomfortable hospital chairs. The eldest Kurosaki simply lay in his bed for what seemed like hours, he was tired, he wanted to sleep and he was even comfortable in his bed; but then why…? Why couldn't he fall asleep? This didn't seem like all that of a complicated question, but Isshin was so mentally and physically exhausted he just couldn't come to a conclusion. Having a basic understanding and experience in medicine he knew that sleep did wonders. It helped you heal when you were sick or hurt and gave you a break from the world when everything became too much, along with being what had to be about the best damn stress reliever in the world. He knew, er- hoped that he would be able to look at things in a better light as long if he managed to get a goodnight's sleep so he continued to lie motionless in the folds of his bed until he finally was able to drift off into a light slumber.
"Dad… Dad…?" A muffled voice could be heard in the distance somewhere. "Daaaadddd! Wake up!"
"Hey, Idiot! Get your lazy bum outta bed before I force you outta that bed!" Another rather irritated sounding voice called.
"Now tha wuldn't be very nice to hurt yer dear ol' dad…" Said father muttered still believing he was dreaming.
"Three… Two… One…" the second voiced started counting down, but for what reason, was still completely lost on the snoozing male. "Zero…" Before Isshin knew what had happened he had been kicked from his bed so that he landed in an uncomfortable tangle of body and bed sheets.
"Awn Karin, do you have to be so cruel to your dearly beloved father?" Isshin moaned as he picked himself off the floor and faced the girls that had woken him up so abruptly. "What's going on girls?"
Karin stayed silent while Yuzu looked like she was about to burst from excitement; which she did about five seconds later. "The hospital called!" She finally blurted, not being able to control herself any longer. "They said that Ichigo is showing signs of waking up!"
"So now that that's been settled, get your clothes on so we can go to the hospital before Ichigo regains consciousness." Karin added.
The girls quickly left Isshin to his privacy so that he could dress and within minutes the three of them were off to the hospital.
To the Kurosaki's slight disappointment once they arrived and all piled into Ichigo's hospital room it seemed as though nothing in particular had changed. Everything looked the same as it had when Isshin had left the previous day and Ichigo didn't look any different than he had been since he had come to the hospital; but something must have happened to make the doctors think that he would be waking up soon. Everyone took their usual seats and waited anxiously in silence for something to happen… anything to happen.
It wasn't much longer after the threesome had arrived when Dr. Unohana entered and greeted Isshin and the two girls as she began to go through her usual routine of checking the strawberry's vitals and making sure all the machines were still working properly. She then informed the family that everything was fine before reminding them to come get her if Ichigo happened to stir.
The unsteady silence returned with the wise doctor's departure and the Kurosaki's went back to having to anxiously await and see what the next few hours would bring.
"Hey dad, is it okay for me and Karin to go get something to eat at the cafeteria really quick?" Yuzu piped up, finally choosing the break the silence.
"Sounds like a plan; but don't feel like you have to rush back. Me or one of the nurses or doctors will come find you if your brother-" Isshin had started to say, but froze instantly when he was sure he heard a low groan that could only have originated from the hospital bed he was currently sitting next to. He quickly and silently rose his pointer finger to his lips so that the girls knew to be quiet and then turned his attention to the orange-haired teenager.
"Ichigo…? Ichigo…" Isshin whispered softly. "Can you hear me, Ichigo…?"
Another moan, but this time Isshin could swear that his son's mouth had also slightly moved in a way that looked like he was almost trying to say something; not to mention there had also been a small, yet unmistakable twitch around the strawberry's eyes, hopefully meaning that he was conscious enough that he was trying to open his eyes.
"Big brother… please wake up!" Yuzu cried as she ran over to the bedside.
"Comon Ichigo, you can do it." Karin urged as she took a spot right next to her sister.
Very slowly, as three of the Kurosaki's waited with baited breath for the fourth Kurosaki to finally rejoin them, and after what seemed like an eternity, Ichigo finally managed to open his eyes, revealing the chocolate brown orbs that everyone had been so longing to see.
Yuzu practically exploded into tears as she almost tackled her older brother, hugging him like she hadn't seen him in years.
"Geeze Yuzu, he just woke up, give him about two seconds to breathe before you squeeze him to death…" Karin started causing Yuzu to jump off her brother instantaneously and quickly apologizing before being waved off meekly by the strawberry. Karin turned towards Ichigo before muttering, "Don't scare us like that ever again you idiot…"
"Love you too… Karin." Ichigo quietly replied, a weak smile managing to decorate his tired features.
"How are you feeling, Ichigo?" Isshin asked.
"Like I got hit by a truck…" Ichigo replied without realizing how well the saying fit his situation.
Isshin quickly turned away from his son for a split second asking Karin to take Yuzu and go find Dr. Unohana because Ichigo had finally woken up… or at least that was what he had said, but there were also other things on his mind that he didn't particularly want to discuss in front of his daughters.
Once both girls had left the room, Isshin turned once again to face his son. "Ichigo, I know this is a tough question, but I have to ask… do you know why you're here?"
Ichigo held his head in his hand for a moment trying to think of what had happened before he had lost consciousness. "I… I don't really remember… It-It's all a really big blur…" the strawberry sighed as he fell back against his pillow.
Isshin groaned. There it went... The last hope that we had in figuring out what happened…
"I…I I remember T-Toshirou… I'm pretty sure he was mad at me…" Ichigo mumbled.
"He was mad at you…?" Isshin asked surprised by the statement. "Why was he mad at you…?"
"I think… I think he was mad because I didn't have any other option and used my body to shield him from the impact of the wreck… so he wouldn't get hurt…" The strawberry continuing to mutter as pictures started rushing through his brain. Darkness… pain… helplessness… but then, reassurance… and then just as quickly fear...
Get away from him!
Please! You have to let me help him!
A very panicky sounding Toshirou echoing in his head as if on loudspeakers; and for a split second, Ichigo remembered opening his eyes to see his young boyfriend's form standing in front of him with his back to him, but he could tell even from the back that the boy was breathing heavily and starting to waver on the spot… it frustrated Ichigo to no ends, the few bits a pieces he had to work with, but at least it was better than nothing, yet there still remained one huge question that had yet to be answered.
"Where is he…?"
"What was that, Ichigo?"
"W-Where is he…? Where is Toshirou?" The strawberry asked, his voice exponentially stronger and more serious than it had been moments ago. "Is he okay…? He's g-gotta be okay…" Ichigo kept muttering. Isshin continued to stare at his son, wanting nothing more than to say that Toshirou was fine and recuperating in another room, but Isshin knew that that would only give his son false hope to be crushed the second the doctor came in a broke the truth that Toshirou was currently missing. So, the question became, would Ichigo take it better from the doctor or from himself…? At this point, it didn't really matter, nothing but having the white-haired boy suddenly show up would make this situation any more bearable for Ichigo.
"Dad…" Ichigo whispered pathetically. "H-He is o-okay, right….? Please… t-tell me h-he's okay…"
Without a word Isshin engulfed his son in a silent hug in an attempt to comfort him. "I'm sorry, Ichigo…"
That was all that the strawberry needed to hear to be completely overcome with grief, sorrow and most of all regret. After all he did… all his attempts at keeping the boy he loved so dearly safe… it had all been for nothing and in the end none of those triumphs meant anything because ultimately those bastards had won… Ichigo of course, knew without a doubt that this was the result of 'Toshirou's gang' getting serious… but now that they had finally gotten their filthy and disgusting hands on the boy, the tables had turned in a horrible way.
"I…I couldn't save him!" Ichigo exploded as large pearly white tears began flowing relentlessly down his face. "What kind of boyfriend am I…? I l-let him g-get taken…!"
"Ichigo…" Isshin said comfortingly. "Ichigo, you need to calm down." His tone now wavering from a one with a sense of comfort to a more stern tone before continuing. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. Okay…? You need to accept the fact that you're not perfect and you're not invincible."
Ichigo let out a short snort at irony at what his father had just said. "Heh… guess not… Toshirou said that to me as well…"
A/N: I'm slightly sad because I wasn't able to get to the big cliffhanger I had originally planned to end this chapter with, but when I started writing the next few scenes they just weren't turning out as well as I had hoped. So instead of postponing the entire chapter, I just decided to leave the chapter off here. Not the best ending in the world in my opinion, but I've had a lot of cliffies lately and this one will do just fine for it's purposes.
Please Review~! :D