MIKU
I felt nervous. This was no small surgery. I took a deep breath. Akaito and I were in separate beds on either side of the OR. Dr. Hart was doing the heart transplant first. It would be an hour before we would be put under for surgery. I took another deep breath. Akaito and I would be able to perform again in four to six weeks. Our remaining lungs would grow larger over time to compensate for our missing lung. We both had agreed quickly to the surgery.
"Nervous?" Neru asked.
"Yes, I am nervous." I admitted, "How is Kaito doing?"
"He is doing well. Everything is within the normal range." Neru replied.
"Everything is going fine." Dr. Hart reassured, "He is doing what he needs to do."
A tone sounded. I looked up worriedly.
"Blood pressure is dropping. He's struggling." Ann reported.
"Gumi, bring me the dish." Dr. Hart was calm. He withdrew his hands from within Kaito's chest to deposit what looked like a limp red blob in the dish, "Hand me the new heart."
"Blood pressure is still falling. 75 over 40." Ann reported.
"Hang in there, Kaito. Get that blood pressure up." Dr. Hart talked while he worked, "Hearts in, everything is attached. Come on, start beating!" I watched as Dr. Hart took what looked like a pair of spoons and insert them into Kaito's open chest, "Clear." There was a whine followed by a click. "Come on…"
"Come on, Kaito! You've got this! Come back to us!" I called out.
"Please, don't go!" Akaito begged.
There was another whine followed by a click. I held my breath, knowing Akaito was doing the same. We both were watching the heart monitor.
"I'm not getting a reading on blood pressure." Ann worried.
"Hand me the Epinephrine, and the Celta." Dr. Hart ordered. Ann complied. Both medications were injected into Kaito's heart. The spoons whined and clicked as they were applied again, "Come on…" Another shock was applied, "This isn't working." Dr. Hart switched tactics, reaching in and manually squeezing Kaito's heart. "Come on… Ann, another Epinephrine." Dr. Hart was getting worried. After ten more minutes of heart massage, three more injections of the Epinephrine and two more shots of Celta, we were rewarded with a steady beeping. "That's it, come back." Dr. Hart turned to Ann, "Blood pressure?"
"105 over 75. He's stable." Ann nodded, "Teto, you are up."
"Switching in. I want the donors put under. Team B, take the woman. Team C, take the man. Team A, you are with me. Let's move it." Teto ordered. They switched effortlessly. "Ready, Akaito, Miku?"
"Ready." I nodded, "This is for Kaito."
"Ready." Akaito added, "Let's do this."
The teams moved toward each of us. A mask was placed over my face. I relaxed, and fell asleep quickly.
I awoke to see a pair of familiar crimson eyes creased with concern. I smiled.
"Hey." I responded.
"Hey, sleeping beauty." Akaito smiled back.
I sat up slowly, "How long was I out?"
"I was out ten hours. You were out 16 hours. I've been sitting here worrying for the last four hours." Akaito said, "I kept the others out so you could rest. Kaito is still in surgery. They have to remove a lot of dead tissue. It could cause infection if it's left alone. They won't be done for hours yet. We have to be kept quiet for six weeks to heal."
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
"I'm sore, but I'm better now that you are awake." He gave me one of his million watt smiles, "There is one thing I want to do." His voice went deep and throaty.
"Akaito, we just had our ribs broken and a lung removed. We have to wait." I leaned into him.
"I met this." He turned and his mouth found mine. Our tongues got involved. Pleasure rolled through me as I deepened our kiss. I found myself longing to feel Akaito inside me. We broke apart. I could see the same longing in Akaito's eyes.
"It is going to be six very long weeks." I groaned.
"As soon as we are cleared to resume our sex life, I'm taking you away for a weekend." Akaito promised, "I'm taking you to the Shion Estate."
"I can't wait!" I grew excited, "I expect you to leave me too sore to move the next day, and let me be on top a few times."
"I will do my best." Akaito promised.
"Can we come in yet?" Luka called.
"She's awake!" Akaito called.
Luka and the twins entered the room together.
"How are you two feeling?" Len asked.
"We're fine." Akaito answered.
"We are sore, and Len, get your mind out of the gutter. You are too young to be thinking that way." I added.
"I wasn't thinking that way!" Len protested, "What did they do, find a switch labeled Mom mode and flip it?"
"I'm always in mom mode." I smiled.
"I have an update for you. They are sewing him up. Kaito is starting to have some trouble so they decided to stop and give him 24 hours to recover. They don't want to push him too far. Gakupo is asleep and Mieko is staying with him." Luka explained, "Dr. Hart says Kaito will be out in about 30 minutes. He is being put in isolation to prevent infection."
"They don't have enough skin to cover the incisions." Rin added.
"Tomorrow, they'll harvest some skin to help cover the incisions." Len finished.
"They are going to put us in a small ward instead of a regular hospital room. It is bigger, and it will be more private. The ward is right next door to isolation, which after the next surgery; Kaito will be kept in for two to four weeks. It is to protect him from infection, and by doing this, protect us from the paparazzi." Luka explained.
"I went back down to the garden, and I got swarmed." Rin said, "Let's just say one angry Lynx and a growling wolf can be pretty intimidating. Suki is lying outside the door right now. A photographer got by security, and it didn't end well once Suki got sight of him. No injuries, just one very expensive camera destroyed."
Ann walked in, "Kaito is out of surgery, which went very well. I'm here to move you to the ward. You guys get a security detail in the form of Suki." Ann was pushing a wheel chair. Behind her was Neru with another wheel chair. Akaito and I sat in the wheel chairs. We were pushed toward an elevator which took us down to floor two, and after a few minutes, we reached the ward.
The walls were a calming pale blue. Several beds were set up, and one wall was dedicated to a large window. Sundae's cat box, food and water dishes, cat tree, and her ball were in the room too. There were several plants, and a clear plastic tunnel ran the length of one wall. Gakupo was already there, along with Zaphod, who still had not left his spot on Gakupo's leg. Mieko was curled up by him. Sundae was on her cat tree which had been put by the window. She was watching her master, a paw pressed against the window.
"Now that is just sweet. I am very glad I let Kaito keep her." I said.
"They do have a strong bond." Akaito stood carefully and walked to the window, "He is still cyanotic."
I joined him, "He's not so blue anymore."
"His body is getting enough oxygen now. To prevent Reperfusion Injury, they are going to put him into a state of hypothermia. Reperfusion Injury occurs when too much oxygen gets to the muscles at once. He has been cyanotic for a long time. His body is used to the low level of oxygen he was getting. Now that he is getting so much more oxygen, it is actually causing some damage. By inducing hypothermia, we slow everything in the body down which gives time for the body to adjust to the higher amount of oxygen." Ann explained, "You know the heart Gumi brought us? I bet you would like to know where it came from. Your friend, Yoholoid, told the paramedic to harvest everything that can be harvested from his body to help others right before he died. His heart was going to go to someone else, but they died, so Gumi rushed it here. Kaito has Yoholoid's heart now."
"How is Kaito doing now?" Akaito asked.
"He is stable. Tomorrow, my husband and Teto will finish what was started today. After that, Kaito should start to recover. He is still deep in his coma, but there is some good news. His brain activity is rising. Aroha says he is responding well to her pulses. This is a miracle in itself along with the fact the infection being completely gone. Normally, people don't come back from brain death. If he wakes up, no, when he wakes up, there is no telling how bad the damage to his brain will be." Ann explained.
"Meaw?" Sundae pawed the window.
"I know you want to be by Kaito." Akaito petted Sundae, "Kaito can't have visitors right now."
"Mow." Sundae snubbed him.
"Come here. You can see him for a few minutes." Ann smiled. She picked up Sundae and carried her away. Akaito and I returned to our bed. Luka and Rin went to the window.
"He's not so blue anymore." Rin said, "Sundae really does love him. I've never seen a bond between human and animal so strong before."
"He did save her life. Kaito does a lot better when she is beside him." Luka watched as Sundae took her usual spot by Kaito. "Back when Kaito had his latest Meniere's attack, I found Sundae curled up around his head. A cat's purr can take away pain and speed up the healing process. Sundae is the best medicine we can give Kaito right now."
"I wish Kaito would get better. I hate seeing him like this. I miss him." Rin blinked.
"We all do, Rin." Luka answered, "We all do."
RIN
I watched my big brother figure for a bit. Was he aware, or was he so far under that he wasn't aware? Did he even know Sundae was there? I worried.
"We need to be prepared to accept Kaito in whatever shape he is in if he wakes up." Miku broke the silence, "He may not even know us."
"No." Len spoke up, "He will know us, when he wakes up."
I turned, "What if he doesn't?"
Len opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as he realized he didn't have an answer, "He's still our big brother, and big brothers don't forget their younger siblings. He is going to remember us at least."
"He has got to remember Akaito. He's his twin." I responded, "If he can't remember, we'll just have to make new memories."
"I want him to wake up just as much as you do." Miku replied, "But we need to be prepared for the reality of Kaito not waking up. He might remain comatose, never waking up. He might end up as a vegetable. We should be prepared for all possibilities."
"Kaito might wake up and be completely normal." Mieko replied.
"You guys ready for a visitor?" Gumi asked, opening the door, "I brought Sundae back."
"Yeah, let them in." Miku nodded.
Gumi spoke to someone outside. The person entered the room.
"Al!" I gave him a big hug.
Al smiled, "It is good to see you lot. I thought I would drop by and pay a visit. You guys look like you all have been through hell and back."
"We have." Mieko said, "First the kids witnessed Kaito collapse on stage due to cardiac arrest, we found out about it because it was on the news, we survived an F3 tornado, we got here and Kaito was awake and talking to us, he got worse and worse, than there was the earthquake and tsunami in which Gakupo and I got impaled on the same pole, and now we are here."
"Should we?" Akaito turned to Miku, who was in the same bed he was in, curled up next to him. She looked up and smiled.
"Al, while in Seattle Washington, Akaito proposed to me. I'm wearing the ring on a chain right now until my hand heals." Miku smiled, "Mieko has news of her own."
"I knew it!" Al said, going to them, "I knew the two of you were going to announce your engagement soon! So Mieko, what is your news?"
Gakupo had woken up shortly after Al had arrived.
"Gakupo and I are engaged." Mieko said.
"I proposed while we were stuck on the pole. I had a good reason for it. Mieko and I are going to be parents." Gakupo said.
"Congrats, you two!" Al went to them.
"We are having a girl. I do wish she would stop using my bladder as a soccer ball." Mieko replied.
"Where is Kaito at? He's not, is he?" Al grew concerned.
"Over here, Kaito is in isolation to prevent infection from setting in. He just had a double transplant done. He got Yoholoid's heart. Miku and Akaito donated a lung each to him. He'll have more surgery done tomorrow so the doctors can finish removing the dead tissue and cover the incisions with skin grafts." I explained.
"He looks terrible. I know he has always been skinny, but that is just sick. He's a skeleton with skin." Al sounded and looked shocked, "I know he was sick, but I didn't think it was this bad."
"They are not sure if Kaito will wake up. If he does wake up, he may not even know us. It depends on how severe the brain damage is from the times he was in cardiac arrest." Len finished, "It is good of you that you dropped by."
"I was worried about you. I went to Yoholoid's funeral. He was cremated, his ashes scattered down in Emerald Park, the place where he had his first concert. It was beautiful. Len, Jodye's parents haven't had Jodye's funeral yet. It's going to happen next week. They want you to attend."
"I miss her. She was different from the other girls I've known. She wasn't afraid to get down and dirty with us guys. She's the only girl I know who loved soccer and Nintendo." Len looked down, "She was my dream girl."
"You loved her, didn't you?" I asked.
"I did. I assumed we would get closer and start dating in high school, and after college, marrying. She was special to me. I didn't care that she was deaf. I was in love with her." Len leaned against the wall, tears beading in the corners of his eyes, "Why did Buddha have to end her life? Jodye never got to know true happiness! She barely got to live!" he put his arm over his eyes, "I'm never going to love again!" he began to cry, "I miss her so much!"
"Oh, Len!" I hugged him, "Don't give up on love! You'll find someone! I promise!"
"Len, Jodye's body is in the Morgue here in the hospital. I can take you if you want." Al said.
"I want to go too." I replied, "I want to see her one last time."
We left for the morgue.
ETURNIA
I sighed sadly as I observed from the Crystal Road. The road was busy today as those who had died during the recent disaster made the trip. I made sure to greet each newly dead person by name with a bright smile. My heart was not in it. What used to give me great joy was only hurting me now. The road cleared after the first wave passed into Elysium. I turned my attention back to Len. His face as I faded and died hurt me a lot.
"Eturnia?"
I turned, "Oh, hello, Ichigo. Yes?"
My strawberry loving pink cat girl Reaper looked up at me, "You loved him."
"I did. I tried not to, but it happened anyway." I responded.
"Hello, Eturnia. If you could go back, would you?" I recognized the voice of Kish, another of my many Reapers. He wore a green safari type outfit and his area was the vast Savanna of Africa.
"I can't, even if I want to. My place is here, serving Buddha as the Guardian of the Crystal Road." I responded.
"Your devotion to duty is admirable, Eturnia." Kish said, "You are not happy. We all can see it."
"That's why we went and talked to Buddha." Ichigo said.
"We can handle watching over the Crystal Road for you. Ichigo is nearly as strong as you are." Kish added.
"What did the two of you do?" I asked.
"They did a very admirable thing, Eturnia."
We turned, and bowed. Walking before us was the Holy Father himself, flanked by his sons. He smiled.
"Rise." Mohammed commanded, "They came to us."
"I can't believe it took a pair of reapers to show us how depressed our Guardian of the Road had become." Jesus replied.
"This is why we have come, Eturnia. We all can see as plain as day that you are not happy. You love him, don't you?" Buddha asked.
"I do love him. My duty is here. I can't leave my post." I replied, "I can't give up my sacred duty."
"You can go to him. We have a replacement already chosen." Jesus smiled, "Ichigo has proven that she is more than ready."
"You will let me return?" I asked.
"Your body is still viable." Mohammed said.
"I'm going to Len." I smiled.
There was a flash of light. My wings vanished as my body returned to its mortal form. Ichigo gasped. She now had my wings and abilities. I walked to the door of life, and took one last look at the Crystal Road. I stepped through.
LEN
We reached the Morgue and went in. The ME had brought Jodye out of cold storage already. I went to her side, tears beading under my eyelids. She looked so peaceful, like she was asleep. It was a sleep that was eternal. Never again would she dance, play Mariokart with me, defend her world record on the Rainbow Road, and never know my feelings for her. I missed her so much it hurt. I gently held her against me.
"I know nothing I say will bring you back to me. I wish I could tell you how I feel." I blinked back tears. "Please, hear this song and know that I love you." I began to sing Saihate, throwing my heart and soul into the song. I sang with every fiber of my being, praying she was hearing the song. I lowered my head as I sang the last few notes. Gently, I kissed her cheek. It was then that I realized something wasn't right. Her cheek was warm; in fact her body was warm. Was that a breath I just felt against my neck? I put my head on her chest. Was I hearing her heart beat? No, I was hallucinating. I wanted her alive so badly my mind was playing tricks on me. There was no mistaking the warmth, the breath, or the heartbeat. I didn't dare to breathe for fear of shattering the illusion.
"Len, you need to let her go." Rin's voice was sad.
"Rin, she's alive." I whispered.
"We've been over this, Len. She is dead!" Rin exasperated, "You want her back so badly you are imagining that she is alive."
"No, Rin. She's warm."
"This is ridiculous!"
"I'm serious!"
"I'm done with this argument!"
"Come and see for yourself!"
"EW, no! I'm not touching a dead body!"
"She's not dead!"
"Twins that is enough!" Al cut in, "Len, Jodye is dead. Get used to it!"
"I'll check her." The ME came over and used his stethoscope. Her eyes went wide. She gasped and backed away, "She's alive!" The ME raced to a phone, "ER, I need a gurney and a medical team, stat! I have a live one!"
It wasn't long before the team arrived and moved Jodye to the gurney. They rushed her to the ER, Rin, Al, and I following. I stayed by her side as she was worked on.
"What is wrong?" I asked fearfully.
"She is hypothermic. We need to warm her up." The doctor answered, "This is not unheard of. This is my third time seeing a dead person come back from the dead. Once she is warm, she is going to surgery. We need to finish what was started. We will put her in the ward with you once we are done." I watched as Jodye began to bleed from her incision. "That is a good sign. She is stabilizing. We need to get her into surgery."
The doctor took Jodye away. We returned to the ward. Miku and Akaito were asleep. Mieko was at the window. I joined her. Kaito was starting to look better. He wasn't so blue anymore. The swelling from the edema was finally going down. He looked like he was in pain. I saw Teto and Gumi in hazmat suits moving around. They really were taking no chances with infection. Gumi injected something into one of the four IVs. Kaito's face relaxed as the pain medication took effect. I knew they were giving Kaito a lot of medication to help him recover. I sighed to myself, wondering again why I had not seen any sign that Kaito was getting sick. I had walked in on him a few times while he was vomiting. He had told me it was just his Meniere's acting up. I thought back to the time we recorded the music video for He's my Son. I was only ten at the time. Had I noticed the Cyanosis? Kaito had not been feeling well at the time. He had been feeling nauseous due to a migraine. Luka had tried to talk him out of performing, but Kaito had said he was fine. We had gone through with the video anyway. Kaito had spent that night vomiting. Miku had proceeded to drag Kaito to the doctor the following morning. He was tested and diagnosed with Meniere's. I sighed again. I did miss Kaito.
"Are you going to tell them?" Rin asked.
"I am." I turned, "Jodye is alive."
"What?" Mieko asked.
"She's alive." I responded.
"But how? She died!" Gakupo sputtered.
"I don't know how, but she's alive." I realized I was trembling, "She's alive."
"Are you okay, Len?" Rin asked.
"I don't know." I replied, "I'm not happy."
"Oh, Len!" Luka hugged me, "You should be overjoyed!"
"I'm not."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"He's in shock." Al said, "I would be too if my girlfriend died, then suddenly came back to life."
"Len?" Rin worried.
"I'm okay. I have a lot to work through. I'm scared for Kaito. I need to have a talk with Jodye. I don't know what to feel right now! It's so confusing!" I pulled away from Luka and left the ward for the garden. Once inside, I found the waterfall and collapsed before it. The sound of the water falling was peaceful. I felt myself crying. Great sobs wracked my body. I didn't hold back. This mess had started because I stood up to Mrs. Shia. It was my fault. If I had not invited Jodye over, she would not have shown off her dancing skills. The concert would not have happened, and Kaito would not be sick. I continued to cry, my guilt pouring out of me.
Someone put their head on my shoulder. I heard a soft meow as a warm furry body settled down next to mine. I looked up to see Neko. I put my arms around the lynx and my tears continued unabated. I heard myself begin to talk, everything pouring out of me. After a while, I calmed down. I felt so much better. It had felt so good to cry. I felt much lighter now. Neko purred and rubbed her face against my shoulder.
"I know what I need to do now." I got up and left, returning to the ward. Jodye had been brought in, but had not awakened yet. Mieko and Rin were sitting by her. I went to them.
"They want her to sleep through the night. She is doing well. She should recover without further complications." Rin was smiling. "Len, she is back with us!"
"I'm not sure I want her back."
"Len?" Mieko asked.
"I'm going to have to experience the pain of losing her again."
"Oh Len, is that the problem? She is not dying. You won't lose her again. I bet she came back because she loves you." Mieko hugged me, "You won't have to worry about that for a long time."
"It is weird. I am happy that she is back, but at the same time, I don't want her back. I don't want to go through what I went through again." I decided to go watch Kaito.
"We need to call Jodye's parents." Rin pulled out her cellphone, "Len, do you know the number?"
"I'll call." I took the phone and dialed the number. It rang twice before I heard a woman's voice answering. "Mrs. Kingfisher, its Len Kagamine, Jodye's friend." I caught and stopped myself from saying boyfriend.
"It is nice of you to call, Len. I'm glad Jodye got to be your friend." Mrs. Kingfisher sounded like she had been crying, "We just landed in the city airport, and will be there in 30 minutes."
"You can cancel the funeral. She is alive." I replied. I nearly went deaf as she screamed. "She is asleep. They had to warm her up and finish the surgery. She is with us in the ward." I began to smile, "I can barely believe it! She's alive! It is a miracle!" We hung up and I gave the phone back to Rin and went to Jodye's side. I held her hand. Her eyes started to flutter. "Uh, uh, no waking up yet. You need to rest. I'm staying right here beside you." The fluttering stopped, "That's better."
GAKUPO
Watching Len interact with Jodye was very cute, and sweet. Mieko joined me.
"The doctor said you are supposed to be getting up and walking. I have not yet seen you get up yet." She smiled.
"I would be up, but someone decided to nap on my leg." I returned the smile as Zaphod raised his head and yawned. The Meerkat stretched and rose to his hind legs, sniffing the air. He shot into the air and vanished up into one of the clear plastic tubes running the perimeter of the room, "Now I can move." I swung my legs over and carefully stood. Walking hurt, but I did it anyway, walking over to the window and looking down at Kaito. He did look better. He was less blue, and the swelling was gone at last. The blanket was pulled up to his waist, leaving his upper body exposed. IED leads, IVs, and tubes covered his chest. I saw a long white bandage marked with blood running down his chest.
"He is so skinny." Mieko whispered.
"Skinny is an understatement." I whispered back.
It was true. Even Famine looked far better than Kaito did. His eyes were hollow, and both cheek bones were well defined. Every bone in his body stood out starkly under his translucent white skin now that the swelling was gone. As Ann and Neru carefully turned Kaito to his side to prevent bed sores, I watched as a bit of Kaito's limp blue hair floated free from his head. Neru picked up a brush and ran it over Kaito's hair, the brush collecting more of his hair. Even I knew that the fact that Kaito was losing his hair was not a good sign.
"Do you know the latest yet?" Mieko asked.
"Last I heard was that they were doing the double transplant. How did that go?" I asked.
"It went well. Miku and Akaito did very well and will need to be kept quiet for a few weeks to heal. Kaito did well too. He did start to struggle so they decided to halt the surgery and finish tomorrow so he could rest. He has a lot of dead tissue inside of him." Mieko explained, "They don't know if Kaito will recover, or even wake up."
"He is going to wake up. He is a fighter. He's proved that to all of us already." I turned to her, "I believe he will recover."
"I'm beginning to wonder if Kaito will wake up. We all know who to blame for this." Mieko gave a bitter laugh as she turned, "I know, go ahead and say it! It's my fault! I'm the one who is mothering everyone all the time and I never realized Kaito was sick until it was too late!"
"Mieko! You stop it! This is not your fault!" I tried.
"If anyone is to blame, it is me!" Len snapped from his spot beside the sleeping Jodye. "I'm the one who got in trouble! I'm the one who added more stress onto his shoulders! I'm the one who made him get sick!"
Rin's head snapped around, "Len is right! It's his fault!"
"Guys, please. There is no need to fight." Luka cut in, "It is nobody's fault. No one, not even Kaito, could have predicted this."
"Len, Mieko that is enough!" I snapped, "We all are beyond exhausted, and no one is to blame for what has happened! What happened is in the past, and no one can change it!"
"I blame Len." Rin hissed, "If he had not lost his temper, we would not be here!"
"Really?" Luka turned on her, "That does not change the fact he was already sick!"
Somehow, Akaito and Miku remained asleep. They both had been given some strong pain killers, so it wasn't alarming.
"He wouldn't be so sick!" Rin shot back.
"How do you know for sure?" Luka asked, her voice dripping with acid.
"He," Rin sputtered, trying to come up with a response, "We might have noticed something!" She finished lamely.
"You know as well as I do that Kaito would have told us not to worry! You know how stubborn he is!" Luka took a shuddering breath.
"I think the stress of Len being in trouble again was a blessing in disguise." I cut in. Mieko, Luka, Rin, and Len stared at me. "Think about it. He might have gone into cardiac arrest during the night. You three would have found his body in the morning." The kids looked at one another.
"That would have been just horrible." Len replied, eyes wide.
"Having to tell Akaito his brother had died during the night would have broken me." Luka whispered.
"You wouldn't have to tell him. He would have sensed it and called us. I know I would know the second Len dies." Rin blinked back tears, "I know Akaito would have been the first to know Kaito was gone."
"Akaito said that he started feeling like something was wrong with Kaito at midnight, Pacific Standard Time, which would make it 7 PM here, which was when Kaito collapsed." I said, "Rin is right. Akaito would have known right away that his brother was gone."
"Stupid pregnancy hormones." Mieko muttered, "My emotions are all over the place. I cried in the bathroom earlier because I realized I couldn't have any Sake for another five months."
"We all need to sleep. Things will look much better in the morning. Who knows, maybe Kaito will be awake." I smiled as I walked painfully back to my bed. Everybody settled down to sleep. Xaito had left a while ago as he was needed by his unit to assist in the ongoing rescue effort. I was the last one to fall asleep.
RIN
I settled in next to Jodye. The room was warm, so I didn't need a blanket. I was exhausted from the day we had, and from the fact Luka, Len, and I had been up well over 24 hours. I was out pretty quickly.
The concert was over at last. We all were tired, and it was well after midnight.
"Jodye, why don't you stay the night? Can she, Kaito?" Len asked.
"It's fine with me as long as it is fine with her parents." Kaito said, "I know you have a drawer of your own in the twin's bedroom. Do you need anything from home?"
Jodye had stayed overnight so many times that Len and I had decided to give her a drawer of her own. We also had a folding bed in the room for her use as well.
Jodye drew out her cell phone and called her parents. After a few minutes, she turned it off. "I can stay!" she held up her note pad.
"I expect teeth brushed, PJs on, and the four of you in bed within 30 minutes of us getting home." Kaito ordered, "No complaints, as I'm doing the same thing." He was smiling.
We all acknowledged him. We got home quickly. Just as Kaito had ordered, we all were in bed in less than 30 minutes. We all fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the concert.
It was Luka's scream that woke us. Even Jodye was woken by the scream. Instantly, a horrible feeling gripped my heart. That was no normal scream. The three of us bolted out of our room and found Luka in Kaito's room, frantically trying to rouse the bluenette without success. Right away, I knew something was wrong, horribly wrong. Luka was choking on sobs as she shook Kaito, but I knew Kaito would never respond again.
"Luka, stop. He's gone." Len's voice hitched.
Luka stopped, only to let loose with the same scream from earlier. While Len dealt with Luka, Jodye moved to the bedside and placed two fingers on Kaito's neck. She stepped back and shook her head sadly before moving toward the phone. She picked it up and swallowed as she dialed 911. I joined her, wondering how she was being so calm about this. I remembered that she had dealt with this before, when her brother had committed suicide. Before long, paramedics came to take Kaito's body away. Luka was taken away too after being sedated.
"We are going to have to tell the others in the USA." Len whispered.
"They probably already know." I answered, "Akaito probably felt Kaito leave."
The phone rang. I answered it to find Gakupo calling. I told him what had happened as two detectives entered the mansion. He told me that Akaito had suddenly started screaming that Kaito was gone, and had to be sedated. He was in Harborview Medical Center, and Miku was with him. Mieko was flying home to us. I hung up after a minute.
"The detectives want to speak with us." Len called me over. Jodye had made coffee and hot chocolate. I accepted a cup of hot chocolate gratefully. We sat in the living room.
"My name is Yoshiro Hamato, and this is my partner, Suki Takuya. We have some questions for you, standard procedure. You can call me Yoshi." Yoshi smiled at us. Jodye was the only one who managed to smile back, but I could see that it took her great effort. "What is the relationship of…" he consulted his notes, "Megurine Luka, to Shion Kaito?"
"Big brother and it is the same for all of us. We are not related, except me and Rin. We are twins." Len answered. Jodye nodded, and held up her note pad.
"I've come to see him as a brother too." It read.
"Mercy has pronounced Shion Kaito dead. His body is headed toward their morgue where he'll be autopsied. The ER doctor who examined him found dried crust around his mouth and according to the lividity report; Kaito has been dead for five hours. The doctor suspects heart attack." Suki signed as she spoke, "Has Kaito had any health problems? I found these in his bedside drawer." She held up an evidence bag with several pill bottles, "He may have overdosed."
"He has Meniere's, and he takes Metformin for that. He takes Celta to keep his blood pressure up to prevent fainting spells. He has a severe allergy to Latex." I recited.
"The third bottle is painkillers for his migraines." Len supplied.
"Is it possible that he overdosed?" Yoshi asked.
"No way, not Kaito." I responded, "He is very responsible about his medication."
"He did overdose once on his Celta." Jodye signed, "This was our fault. He was experiencing repeated fainting spells. His blood pressure shot up, and it took a night of being infused with charcoal to counter the Celta in his body. He would never intentionally overdose."
"There was the incident with cold medicine." I said.
"That wasn't an overdose, but it sure left him loopy. Mieko chewed him out for it because he took a little too much." Len answered, "He took three pills instead of two by accident."
"Are you sure it was an accident?" Suki asked.
"He had a sinus infection, and was really dizzy. He couldn't see straight. He kept calling me Len and Len Rin." I said, "He also called Gakupo Miku, and wanted to know why she dyed her hair purple. Mieko put him to bed after that."
"Yeah, that was definitely an accident." Yoshi said, "This is neither a homicide nor suicide. Are the pills at the right numbers? We did find a few pills on his bed." Suki said.
"Let's see, he refilled his medications two weeks ago and he gets 28 days' worth of medication at a time. He takes Metformin twice a day, so there should be 28 pills left, and Celta is taken once a day, so there should be 14 pills left, and his painkiller is taken three times a day, so there should be 52 pills left." Len answered.
Suki counted the pills, "The Metformin and the Celta pan out, but there are only 12 pills left for the painkiller. Why does he take a painkiller three times a day? This could be suicide after all."
"The painkiller is for pain. He suffers daily from pain in his right leg. He was impaled in an accident a while ago, and was left paralyzed. He came back from that, but his right leg never fully healed." I answered. Had Kaito committed suicide? He had said that some days the pain was nearly unbearable. Kaito often sang about suicide. He had once told me that self-murder was a sin. He would never do that to us, right? Was the pain so bad that he decided to end it so he wouldn't suffer any more?
"There were days the pain was so bad that he couldn't move his leg without vocalizing his pain." Jodye signed, "I have seen him take two pills on occasion."
"The toxicology report will reveal more about this. We both are very sorry for your loss." Yoshi said.
Two days later, we got answers. Kaito had not committed suicide. His heart had simply stopped. His death was ruled as natural causes.
I bolted awake with a gasp. A horrible feeling gripped my heart. Unable to sleep, I got up and walked to the isolation room window. Looking in, the room was a hive of activity. Something had gone wrong, horribly wrong. Gumi was doing chest compressions while Teto squeezed an oxygen pump. The monitor nearby showed no activity. Tears welled up in my eyes. I noticed something else. Both the cardiac nurse and the respiratory therapist were covered with blood. Blood pooled under the bed, covered Kaito, and had splattered everywhere. I gasped as I saw his chest. The incision had opened and blood wasn't just pouring from it. It was spraying like a fountain with each compression. Numerous bags of blood hung from the IV poles. Dr. Hart ran into the room. He shouted orders left and right as more medical staff flooded the room. Dr. Hart quickly plunged his hands into the open wound on Kaito's chest. The blood stopped spraying with each compression, but it still poured freely. Dr. Hart looked ashen. This so was not good.
Fear flooded my body. Was I watching Kaito's last gasps of life? The tears finally came. I was praying without realizing it, pleading with God to save Kaito. Body wracking sobs shook my body. I heard a moan, and realized it was coming from Sundae. She lifted her head and moaned again and again. In the room, Kaito was rushed away.
Queen Sunstar: Uh oh. I've seen a chest incision burst open before, and it is really bloody. I was serving in a hospital as a candy stripper and I ended up with my hand inside the patient's chest, plugging a hole that had opened in the Aorta, which is the big artery that sends blood to the lungs. It was not pretty. Thankfully, the patient survived after the hole was repaired during emergency surgery. The spraying with each compression means arterial spray. Arterial spray is beyond bad. Up next, I'm giving Dr. Hart a POV, and I may do a second POV for Sundae, but that is in the air. The next update won't be until January. I have to focus on the novel and get a copy ready for my sister's Christmas present. The story is actually an idea of hers that she wrote years ago.
Up next, it does not look good for Kaito, and Akaito is waiting for the other shoe to drop so to speak. Next chapter may also be the last one, but I'm not sure. Expect a heartfelt scene, and a possible Christmas miracle. Rin's nightmare is a path I actually considered. There will be an epilogue too. After that, scenes that did not make the cut!