White Noise
"I'm home."
"Dad!" Nanako beamed, running up and greeting him at the door. "How was work?"
"I helped a woman get her cat out of a tree," he smiled tiredly. "You would have liked it. Had a little patch of fur like a heart on its forehead."
Her eyes lit up in wonder. "Really?! That's so cute!"
He lightly shook the bag in his hand as they headed to the living room. "You hungry? I got us some sushi."
"I really wanted sushi, too!" she giggled, lightly taking the bags from his hands and setting them on the table.
They shared their meal in mostly contemplative silence, the two exchanging short details about their day before Nanako directed her focus on the TV and Dojima drifted into his thoughts. He hadn't been back at work long, and Adachi had only returned that morning. The majority of the office was chastising him; apparently the doctor had told him to stay out of work for another week or two, but Adachi decided to head back in early. To compromise, he was given four hour shifts and nothing but paperwork to file. Dojima himself was given menial tasks, helping with the paperwork or doing the odd jobs that got called in, like getting cats out of trees. Adachi had tagged along with him on the cat case, the two chatting mindlessly as they walked to the scene.
Through the lighthearted banter and conversation, Dojima had thought back to his night with Hamasaki, the woman accusing Adachi of being a possible suspect in Souji's kidnapping. He was convinced she was just trying to wrap her head around the oddities of the case any way that she could, even if it meant blaming a friend. Under normal circumstances, Dojima might have done the same, but nothing about this case was ordinary anymore, and he couldn't find it in himself to put blame on the man that saved his life. Adachi had no motive, for one, and it just... didn't fit his character. Despite being the best shot in the entire station, the man still tripped over his words and feet more times in a day than he could count. Dojima just couldn't imagine Adachi trying anything of the sort.
"Dad?"
"Hm?" he perked up at Nanako's inquisitiveness, pausing mid-bite of his food as he looked to his daughter.
"We can visit him again, right?" she asked, unsure if she wanted to look at her father or keep her attention on the TV. "He's better now?"
"Yeah," he answered, absent-mindedly clenching tighter onto his chopsticks. "I said we were going tonight, didn't I?"
Nanako nodded curtly before she looked to her food in hesitation. "Um... before we go... can we go to Junes? I filled up my sketchbook and... and I want to draw him something! I wanna draw it before we get there!"
He faltered for a moment, until a smile fell on his face. "How about we go after we eat?"
"Okay!" She grinned, until it fell back to a hesitant glance. "...Is he going to have to stay in the hospital forever?"
"No, Nanako, don't worry." He watched as she poked at her food absentmindedly, a knot catching in his chest at the sight. "He'll be coming home soon, I'm sure of it."
"Okay..." She was silent for a couple of moments more, until she seemed to brighten with a sudden idea. "Dad?"
"Mhm?"
Nanako pouted, as if mulling over what she'd wanted to ask. "Mmm... Nevermind! I'll ask later."
"Oh? You can ask now."
"No! I have to ask later!"
He found himself chuckling lightly at her persistence, the girl continuing to pout lightly before they resumed their dinner in a quiet peace. After they were done and cleaned up, Dojima waited at the front door as Nanako scurried around to grab her coat, change purse, and box of pencil crayons. She greeted him at the door with a skip to her step and a smile of excitement on her face, Dojima locking the door behind them as they left. Like dinner, for the most part, the car ride was silent, Nanako hurriedly tugging on his hand as they walked through the nearly vacant parking lot. Despite himself, he found himself taking a glance at the antenna they had found Souji strung up on. A knot clenched in his stomach as a chill ran down his spine, remembering when they got him down, remembering how he held the teen in his arms, his lips blue, his face as white as porcelain. He remembered the whirlwind of emotions when Souji had miraculously revived, remembered the fear and helplessness when he slipped into death's territory more times than he could count before stabilizing. He remembered just a couple of days ago, when Souji knocked on death's door briefly again.
He was quickly snapped out of his thoughts when they entered the store, the cheery music placing him back in reality. The mall itself was fairly empty compared to usual, the cloudy weather enough to keep most people inside. He remembered the rainy nights at the hospital where he stayed outside of Souji's room until Hamasaki forced him home. With Souji's hesitant permission, they'd installed a hidden camera inside the room, as nobody was allowed inside at the time except for hospital personnel. Three rainy nights passed, and nothing happened. Dojima wasn't allowed to review the footage for himself, curious about how Souji reacted to the Midnight Channel, but Hamasaki assured him that Souji slept through most of it. She didn't mention anything unusual happening with the TV either; did it not show up on camera? Considering how important it was that Souji was kidnapped while distracted by the TV twice, she would have mentioned it if something had happened.
"Dad, are you gonna get another TV for your room?" Nanako inquired as they slowly strolled through the store, staring at the electronics as they passed.
"I haven't thought about it. I didn't really watch it, other than putting on the weather channel in the morning. Why do you ask?"
"I just felt bad... Cuz that was your TV."
Dojima laughed. "It's our TV, Nanako. I don't mind it being in the living room, don't worry."
"Okay."
They continued slowly through the store, Dojima glancing into the aisles as Nanako led him to the art supplies, wondering if there was anything he could get the teen. Maybe he could get him a book to read, he just... didn't know what Souji liked. It was easier when he went for short visits, when Souji at Nanako's age. He didn't get to make those visits to the city as often when he got promoted, and had even less time after Nanako was born. He never got to learn much about his nephew when he reached his teen years. He'd been hoping for the chance, but with everything that happened, he still didn't have the chance to. He'd barely even had the chance to think about it on Souji's arrival. So many things just happened at once, he had a hard time recollecting how long Souji had even been in Inaba for. Most of his time had been spent in a hospital, or scared out of his mind.
"Dojima-san!"
He paused, turning to look over his shoulder at the call of his name. Yosuke waved to him before briskly walking over. The kid was still in uniform. Dojima turned to give the teen his full attention, and he could feel Nanako hanging off the back of his shirt as she peered around his side.
"You finding everything you need?" Yosuke questioned, taking the apron from his uniform and wiping his hands on it. Yosuke was tense, even his customer-service speech sounded strained. Something was wrong. "Can I help you find anything?"
"My daughter's looking for some sketchbooks. Isn't that right, Nanako?" he nodded briefly at the girl who ducked behind his back.
"Ooh, an artist, huh? We just got a shipment of some new colouring books in today, too. They're pretty cute. I can show you, if you want." Yosuke grinned a little sheepishly, peering to look at Nanako.
"Lead the way." He nodded again, Yosuke briefly sparing him a relieved glance before directing them to the aisle with the books. He waited at the start of the aisle as Yosuke led Nanako further in, crouching down and flipping through a couple of the sketchbooks and colouring books he assumed had just been brought in and stocked. He watched Nanako's eyes light up as Yosuke showed her one of the colouring books, the girl promptly grabbing it and sitting on the floor to leaf through the pages. There was a brief moment before the teen was stalking back down the aisle, his form hunched and tense as he stepped in front of Dojima.
"I don't know how to phrase this, so I'm just gonna say it..." Yosuke sighed, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, before whispering harshly, "My dad wants to file a lawsuit."
Sparing a quick glance at Nanako, who was still looking through the book, Dojima crossed his arms and leaned against the shelf behind him, unintentionally scowling at the teen. He noted the scar on Yosuke's cheek, and he could feel the weight of the world back on his shoulders. "Well, I can't blame him," he grumbled, digging his fingers tightly into his sleeves, finding himself at a loss for words.
"My dad's cheap, so I think when he sees the price of a lawyer, he'll take it all back and never bring it up again." Yosuke bit his lip and glanced off to the side, glaring at the wall. It looked like he had more he wanted to say, but was deciding against it. Dojima assumed Yosuke was doing it for his sake; figuring that the kid wanted to go through with the lawsuit, but was too scared to say anything straight to his face. He didn't blame them for it; Souji attacked... with the intent to kill.
He was mentally unstable and hallucinating, yes, but...
He couldn't blame them. Maybe weeks ago, he would have yelled like he had at Yoshida, but now? He watched Adachi come into work, unable to lift his arm higher than his head. Adachi never talked about it―never brought it up, didn't even mention it when it was obviously causing him discomfort or pain, the detective deliberately avoiding the subject for his sake. If Adachi wanted to file a lawsuit, he couldn't blame him.
"I just... wanted to let you know. I'll... see you around. If you need any help finding anything, I'll be... somewhere." Snapping out of his thoughts, he watched as Yosuke walked away without a chance for him to respond. Just as soon as he left, Nanako came running up with a colouring book in her hands.
"Look, Dad! It's got a bunch of kitties and puppies to colour! Can I get this one?"
He smiled, despite the knot in his throat and the weight in his chest. "Don't you want a sketchbook, too? Go grab one, I'll get you both."
"Really?! Thanks, Dad! You're the best!"
The car ride was filled with Nanako's cheery humming and scribbling of her pencils as she coloured in one of her books. The drive to the hospital felt like it took days, his mind running circles, asking so many questions that he'd asked many times before, piling more and more on top of them with the news of a possible lawsuit. Focusing on the road and where he was going was all he could do to try to keep the questions at bay. It felt like days until they were roaming through the hospital halls, nurse happily chatting at his side before she stopped outside of Souji's room.
"Physically, his condition has improved dramatically! He's started physical therapy for his shoulder, and he's responding really well. Mentally, however..." the woman paused briefly, taking a quick look at the charts in her arm before smiling hesitantly. "He's still experiencing PTSD and depression-like symptoms, so, thanks to this, it's difficult to get answers out of him, but he is responsive. Yes or no questions are the best way to communicate. Patience goes a long way. He's making a great recovery now, all things considered."
Her smile faltered again before she caught Nanako's eye, the woman kneeling down to her level. "Your big bro might not answer you, but I bet if you show him your cute colouring book, he'll be really happy! Wait right here, I'll go tell him he has visitors."
Dojima smirked a little, looking down at Nanako who was clutching the book to her chest, eyebrows stitched together in confusion. "Big bro...?"
"He's ready to see you now. If you have any troubles, just press the call button and I'll be right there."
"Thank you."
After the nurse headed back down the hallway, Dojima slowly opened the door, lightly nudging Nanako into the room as she still had her brow furrowed in confusion. He couldn't help but smile as he closed the door behind them, Souji sitting up in the bed without an accompanying slouch. Even from where he was standing, he could see that the teen had regained a considerable amount of colour back in his face. Souji stared at them blankly, before lifting his right arm―now free from its sling―and gave them a short wave while they situated themselves on the seats.
"...She thought you were my dad..." Souji muttered blankly before Dojima had a chance to speak. "I got scared... until she said sister."
There was a brief flicker of a smile on the teen's face before it faded, the light in his eyes dimming away as his gaze was directed at the blankets over his knees. It was a good sign, at least, that he spoke so earnestly almost immediately, even if it wasn't for long. Dojima looked to Nanako who had scooted closer to the bed, opening the colouring book to a certain page and sliding it onto Souji's lap, blush on her face.
"I um... I coloured this for you, um... big bro!" She puffed up as she said the nickname, like she was trying to hide her embarrassment. "It's got things on the side so we can rip the page out super easy if you want to keep it! I-I thought it might make you happy! I um..."
His daughter slowly shuffled into a fidgeting silence as Souji slowly grabbed the book in his hands, staring at it without a word or acknowledgement of emotions. Dojima was about to say something before Nanako was back leaning over the bed, pointing as best as she could to a cat on the page.
"I drew a heart on that one's forehead cuz Dad helped save someone's cat from a tree! He said there was a heart on it, right, Dad?"
"Yeah. Almost right in the center, too. It was really cute," Dojima sighed lightly as he shook his head. "Cat didn't think I was so friendly though. Wouldn't stop growling the entire time. Adachi was laughing his ass off with how agitated the cat was sounding by the time I got it down."
"It didn't scratch you, did it?!"
"Don't worry, Nanako. All it did was puff up and growl."
"That's good." She plopped back down in her seat, kicking her legs lightly, her shoes tapping against the legs of her chair.
Souji continued to look down at the colouring book, Dojima taking notice that the teen's fingers were starting to shake a little. "Big... bro..." he barely heard the teen mumble, Souji lowering his head and blocking his face from view.
"Souji? Are you all right?" he questioned in concern, placing a hand on his nephew's trembling shoulder.
The teen gave a short nod, completed with an affirmed whimper before he lifted his head, eyes brimming with tears and face glowing with a smile. He stared at his uncle for a long while before turning his attention to Nanako.
"Thank you..."