Author's Notes: Once again I disavow any actual knowledge of medical things. I am blatantly making stuff up.
Chapter 21: The Chase
Shinichi's room had been become crowded with medical things. The other teen had a breathing tube running into his nose. An IV drip was inserted into a vein on his arm, and there were wires poking out from the detective's pyjama top that were connected to a heart monitor. Another machine seemed to be monitoring his brainwaves. There was even a feeding tube laid to the side for later use.
None of this was really any different than it had been in the hospital, but something about the stark contrast between the cold equipment and the inviting warmth of Shinichi's bedroom made the reality of the situation even worse.
A laptop was set up on a folding table, connected to all of the monitoring equipment. That, Kaito suspected, was the doing of the creepy little scientist girl.
He had to wonder if the Kudo's had the right idea bringing Shinichi home like this. There were things that had to be done with a coma patient. Movements and exercises were required to prevent permanent muscle damage, bed sores, atelectasis and pneumonia from occurring. Careful maintenance of nutrition was needed and there was also dealing with regular bodily functions. And it had only been nine days. They still had plenty of time before the all important four week deadline. Before Shinichi's comatose state was officially a persistent vegetative state.
But then more was happening to Shinichi than just a coma. As if that isn't bad enough. His brainwaves flickered back and forth in unpredictable patterns. His lungs had already sustained what was likely permanent damage. His immune system was stuttering to a slow agonizing stop.
His body was shutting down.
And even if he woke up there could be other issues. Brain damage was perhaps the most frightening for someone as overwhelmingly bright and active as Shinichi was, but there were other potential problems too. Loss of motor function was one. Psychological problems were another.
Kaito swallowed and tried to stop his overactive brain from playing back all the potential horrors that he'd researched in the last week.
Shinichi will be fine, he told himself firmly. He'd been brought home for a reason after all, so that Haibara Ai could administer her potential cure without having to worry about doctors and nurses and the host of complications that came with a hospital environment.
Two chairs sat abandoned next to Shinichi's bedside, but Kaito ignored them. Instead he very carefully sat himself down on the bed next to Shinichi, carefully avoiding disturbing the medical equipment and being sure to touch his wrist to let the other know he was there first. He'd read about doing that somewhere.
"Good evening tantei-kun," he said in the polished tones of Kaitou Kid. He may be here as Kuroba Kaito, but Shinichi only knew Kid. "I can only guess if you can actually hear me. The research seems to be inconclusive on the matter."
He swallowed, unsure of himself and exactly what it was he wanted to say. "You mother is walking Mouri-san home. It seems she felt I could be trusted."
"Strange, that," Kaito commented absently. "Apparently our parents knew each other. Or at least your parents knew my father."
Kaito allowed himself to play with Shinichi's fingers with a sort of idle contemplativeness. "My father... was the original Kaitou Kid. They killed him you know. The people who were the cause of all your problems were also the cause of my own."
He chuckled a bit. "I became a thief because of that. Because I want to find and destroy the thing they killed my father for. But," and here he smiled ironically, as if Shinichi could see the expression, "I don't think I could give it up now. Even if I found Pandora tomorrow I couldn't give up being Kid. Being a phantom thief seems to run in the family."
He stopped playing with Shinichi's fingers in favour of gripping his hand. "So I have a favour to ask you, tantei-kun. I need you to keep chasing me. What kind of thief could I be without my favourite detective chasing after me?"
A small twitch caused Kaito's heart to leap up into his throat. "Tantei-kun?" he asked in shock. Then, a moment after, "Shinichi?"
But there was no other movement. Kaito cursed himself. It wasn't uncommon for coma patients to move. It didn't necessarily mean anything.
Sighing, he caressed Shinichi's cheek with his free hand but pulled back just as abruptly.
Shinichi was warm.
Too warm, he thought worriedly. Feverish. Pulling out a cloth he gently wiped Shinichi's forehead. It came back wet with sweat.
Swearing Kaito pulled away and all but ran to grab a basin of water to cool Shinichi's temperature. Despite his speed when he came back Shinichi was drenched with sweat and gasping for air. His hands were beginning to spasm.
As Shinichi began to convulsive and various instruments began screaming warnings, Kaito did the only thing he could think and grabbed the other young man's shoulders in an attempt to hold him down. Anything to try and stop Shinichi from hurting himself.
"Keep holding him!" a young voice demanded.
Kaito turned his head just enough to recognize Haibara Ai as she rushed to her laptop. How? She must have set some sort of alarm to notify her if something went wrong.
"Damn it, Kudo-kun. This is too soon," the not-girl hissed.
Kaito quickly stopped paying attention to her as Shinichi's back arched off the bed. A second set of hands joined his attempt to hold Shinichi down. Very briefly he met the serious gaze of Kudo Yuusaku.
"Do something!" the older male demanded of the little girl.
"Like what?" she half-yelled back.
Kaito stared in astonishment. Was Shinichi actually steaming?
A cry of pain grabbed the entirety of his concentration. Kaito thought he was going to be ill as he watched the pain flash across Shinichi's face. Watched his features contort in agony.
And then Shinichi's eyes wretched open. Kaito's violet gaze met blue for a shocking moment. Just as quickly those eyes rolled back as the young detective released an agonizing scream.
"Shinichi!" Kaito cried in desperation.
"He's flat-lining," Haibara informed them in a tight voice.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!
Ignoring Kudo Yuusaku's hands Kaito grabbed Shinichi and pulled him into a tight embrace. Closing his eyes and burying his face in Shinichi's hair he desperately prayed for Shinichi to survive this.
"Don't do this, tantei-kun. Don't do this!" He hissed into the other's hair.
He felt something then. A disconcerting sensation of something... shrinking?
When the alarms petered out, and he heard sighs of relief from the other two, Kaito carefully opened his eyes.
Only to stare in amazement.
He wasn't holding Kudo Shinichi anymore.
He was holding Edogawa Conan.