Happy Birthday to Chelseaj500 (and I guess an early one to me because Lost showed up at my house today...how do they pull it off? Sneaks...Well...I hope you all enjoy this chapter and a BIG thanks to our beta. Amazing Bluie...kudos to you. ;)
Chapter 25: New Faces, New Problems
Heiji took one look and cussed under his breath. He returned the wave in case Kudo saw him but locked eyes with Hakuba instead and mouthed, 'Take care of him.'
Saguru nodded once before whispering to Kudo. "He knows why. Come on." He made his way to the door and back the way they had come.
Shinichi was half blind and still trying to get over the pain. Hakuba was leading, and Shinichi was walking fast enough to urge him on as well, so everything was fine. The pain was still nearly impossible to deal with. He kept his mouth shut, going as if on autopilot, and wished every step was his last. He was panting by the time he got to the room, not bothering to knock and going in first. Sato-keiji was still in the room, though he wasn't sure why. Most likely it was to get an update on Hattori, since Takagi and Ojisan were still running around Kami knows where. Shinichi didn't care to ask to make sure, though. Kisaki-sensei was still sitting on 'Conan's' bed and he didn't want to wait for her to move. He went to his original one, collapsing and clutching at the sweater as if it were the thing hurting him. Laying down felt like heaven compared to standing, so he planted himself there, feeling the sweat bead on his face and pushing the hood off so he could breath easier, as much of a thing of the past as that was.
Sato was shocked when Hakuba-kun and Kudo-kun came in, Kudo-kun first and heading straight for the far bed before collapsing and removing his hood. She looked over to Hakuba-kun to ask what was wrong but he had not moved from the door.
"I will come back with Hattori when he is brought up. Do not forget the bandage." He looked at the two women still in the room. How to word it? "He is changing. Take care of him."
Eri nodded, getting up off the bed. She was getting tired of sitting there, and at least this gave her something to do. She'd never thought 'restless' was an appropriate word for her until her husband had taken off and she was left to the more mundane task of sitting and waiting. She went over to him, lightly touching his shoulder since it seemed he was in pain. "Shinichi-kun, what do you need?" She had a lot of experience in different areas; this though, was not one of them.
"Nothing," Shinichi closed his eyes, just resting. He didn't need the pain at this time. He wasn't sure how he'd handled it the first time, maybe because the drugs were doing more than he thought, but now the aspect of more was nowhere near as tolerable. "Just make sure no one comes in..." Hakuba was right, though he wasn't sure how he knew. Shinichi had no idea how long it would be before he changed back, seeing as the time frame was constantly varying. He selfishly hoped it would be soon.
There was no way Eri was going to leave Yukiko's son in this condition alone and she preferred being there over letting the policewoman take her job, so she nodded over to Sato-keiji to guard the door, seeing that the woman had already gone over and was doing so. She nodded her thanks, focusing back on her friend's son, rubbing her hand over his shoulder. "Okay, Shinichi-kun, don't worry. Nobody will be entering."
Shinichi nodded, though he was floating towards unconsciousness even as he did. He'd never passed out from just the symptoms of changing back... but then again, he'd never quite been in these circumstances before. "Just Hattori..."Shinichi said quietly, though he knew both those in the room were already aware he was coming. That made Shinichi wince. He couldn't really be in the room for that.
Eri hadn't considered it before Shinichi-kun's words showed it was quite obvious he couldn't be in the room should anyone that needed to enter did, especially because she wasn't sure what the changing entailed. "Shinichi-kun, I can help you back to the bathroom. The sheets are still in there."
Shinichi bared his teeth. He should have thought of this before and just lain in there when Hakuba had come. He nodded, getting himself up, as shaky as the experience was. He was surprised when Ran's mom grabbed his arm instead of waiting for him to offer his own. She helped him up, again not waiting, and Shinichi found that he appreciated it. The faster he got up, the less he would have to deal with. With her guiding him, he went back to the bathroom - he was getting really sick of bathrooms- and stopped her from helping him lay down, kneeling by the toilet again. "I'm not feeling well again. It's fine." Shinichi tipped his head drunkenly to the side. Hakuba he didn't mind, but Ran's mom watching him be sick was something he didn't want.
Eri was worried. She'd heard of Shinichi-kun's injuries and the fact that he was sick, along with whatever pains he was obviously feeling now that he hadn't when he'd stepped out. She wondered about his health. She'd get a doctor in when there was opportunity. Patting his head, she walked back outside to once again take up her position, as they would wonder when Hattori-kun was brought in. "Well be right outside. If you need anything, just ask." She closed the door, leaning against it for a moment once that was done and looking at the policewoman.
Sato had moved to the door after Hakuba-kun had shut it and placed herself so anyone that tried to enter would see her first, and only after she saw them. Unless it was Hakuba-kun and the orderly, or whomever was bringing Hattori-kun back, they were not entering. She felt eyes on her and looked over her shoulder at Eri-san. "How is he?"
"I don't know," Eri answered honestly. "I'm not sure how sick he was and how sick he's supposed to be now. It makes it hard to judge. Physically, he's acting no different. Visually, I'm not so sure. He's very pale and he's sweating a lot." She said so in a calm, even tone, used to deliver any type of news. She went over to the pullout drawers, grabbing some gauze and tape. She's seen the haphazard bandaging on his arm and Hakuba-kun had asked that she take care of it, so she would. Eri looked at the officer once more, nodding, and going over to knock on the bathroom door. "Shinichi-kun, I'm coming in." She didn't wait for an answer, giving him a few seconds and turning the handle. Shinichi was on his hands and knees near the toilet and looked very much worse than he had before she had left. It had only been seconds. She held out her hand, Yukiko's son obviously disoriented as he gave her his own back- nearly half a minute later, when he figured out that she had wanted it. Eri took away the paper, seeing the small wound there that was bleeding, though not too much. She wrapped it up, brushing her fingers against the boy's as she got up from her crouched position and went to the door. "We'll be right outside." She closed it, leaning against it again, and this time sighing. She rolled her shoulder, going back over to the bed and sitting down. "If this is normal, I'd be worried. The boy looks very sick." She voiced her concerns aloud to the officer. "We should get a doctor, a proper doctor, in here when we can."
Sato nodded at the woman's sentiment. "I agree. Perhaps we can have whoever brings Hattori-kun back look at him, if he's turned back." She shook her head. "How could these two boys have kept this hidden for so long? It- it doesn't seem possible that we missed it, after all this time."
"What? Shinichi-kun?" Eri looked back over at the door. "Oh, I thought something about him was strange. I think I knew who he was the first time I saw him. Because I never saw much of the boy while he was a teenager, to me, his image hadn't changed. I didn't think there could be someone who acted and looked so similar to another. That didn't make any sense, though, so I assumed that the boy had some connection to Shinichi-kun. Knowing that it's him is no different for me. I do not judge based on age; and as a child, he failed pretty miserably in front of me. Knowing how to counteract poison is certainly not a trait I would put to my husband at that age."
"I suppose. I had only met Kudo-kun a few times but Conan-kun was the one I met first. I thought they seemed a bit alike, but I had heard that, apparently, Kudo-kun had taught Conan-kun what he knew. Shortly after meeting him, I admit I confessed to a suspect that it was Conan-kun's presence that gave me such confidence Wata- my partner could solve the case ."
"Your officers weren't on the scene when I first saw 'Conan-kun', so I saw more of the boy's unconscious behavior then than I've noticed from times since our first meeting. Whether conscious of it or not, you're not the only one I've seen to rely on the boy, so that doesn't surprise me. Frankly, the fact that Yukiko and Yusaku's son, as eccentric as their lives are, could get himself mixed up in this type of situation seems all too natural to me. But then again, I've watched the boy from when he was young. He doesn't seem all that much hindered by the fact that he's a child once more."
"I often wonder how he manages, even knowing now he had the mind of a teen. As smart as he is, the body has its limits… but he must have things to compensate for it. I saw him after he had been shot. One of the men had grabbed him and ordered us away. Suddenly he looked down at Conan-kun and collapsed. I never asked him about it, but I've wondered."
"He's his parent's son. Whereas you can't imagine how he gets out of situations, I can't imagine how he could not get out of them. He was always bright."
"I suppose I kind of know his father, mostly from stories at the station. He had solved crimes much like Kudo-kun does, but I'll have to go by your judgment." Sato glanced over at the closed door behind Eri-san for a moment. Not sure what else to say she looked back to the door in front of her, hoping that the boy- teen- would be all right.
Shinichi had had enough. He was on the sheets that Sato-keiji had fixed, part of one in his mouth after another attack had hit him. It was just too hot and he'd taken off the sweater. It hadn't helped much. He blinked his eyes from his withdrawn position, having nothing to do but wait for all of this to stop. There wasn't anything else to do and he didn't want anyone in the bathroom with him. He was beyond the point of hiding anything, and it wasn't like they could do anything to help. They'd just be making him self-conscious when he had no time to worry about little things like that. He closed his eyes. If only he could pass out before it really started to hurt...
Eri had no conversation to bring up herself and had noticed when Sato-keiji had run out of things to say, seeing as their current conversation wasn't as productive as most. There was one thing Eri had picked up on, though. She had never noticed, nor would have thought, that the younger woman would hesitate so much in her speech. It was simply something that had come from observation, though, and the officer would have to overcome her own insecurities, whatever they were. Eri wasn't sure why she had nothing to speak about, maybe because she had no questions of her own and right now she was unsure how to go about things in the future, especially dealing with Shinichi-kun. The first thing was to get them all healed up, which was proving a greater task than she ever would have believed.
Sato was still going over everything in her head. She was worried about Kudo-kun/Conan-kun and Hattori-kun- the other two as well; though she had seen Hakuba-kun, the other boy, Kuroba-kun, did not seem well off, either. Not to mention that Mouri-san had not returned since giving chase. No doubt the doctor was long gone and Wataru had no idea about what had happened. She could only hope that Hakuba-kun would fill him in when he had the chance, though she wondered if the teen would admit much. None of the boys had seemed to want to speak of their own injuries- they were too concerned about each other. "I hope they're okay."
"The fact that Shinichi-kun didn't say anything makes me assume Hattori-kun came out of his ordeal. Shinichi-kun himself is with us, and Hakuba-kun looked energetic enough as he ran back out. That is, of course, only the children. My husband and the others can take perfectly good care of themselves." And she was sure in that fact. Worrying right now was something she just didn't feel was necessary.
"Right. I hadn't meant to say that out loud... we have to trust everyone with their responsibilities and focus on our own tasks." Sato a deep breath to reset her mind and body, keeping her attention on the door should anyone attempt to enter.
Eri sat and waited, whether it be for Hattori-kun and Hakuba-kun to enter, or for Shinichi-kun to give some sort of sign that he could be removed from the bathroom. She was hardly going to go in there, herself. He was young and, while she thought of him fondly, he was not her son and she wouldn't risk walking in on anything she shouldn't. Though she said nothing aloud, she wished her stupid idiot of a husband would catch the man already and get back here.
Kogoro was beyond angry. The man had apparently slipped away, because he had searched everywhere with no result. The officer Megure-keibu had sent had taken a description and, after some added searching in and around the hospital, it appeared the man was gone. He stopped just outside the room, not sure how he could face the others, but knowing he had to tell them, eventually. DAMN! He was mad. He growled and opened the door only to be met with a hand in his face. "What the he-"
Sato heard a growl as the door opened and thrust her hand out to stop the person. Hearing the words, she barely managed to keep her hand from giving the man a broken nose. "Mouri-san? Sorry. No one else is with you, right?"
"No, why? What's wrong?" Kogoro tried to see in but ended up having to push past the woman to see only his wife by the bathroom and no one else in the room.
Sato shut the door and turned to answer. "We just need to keep anyone else out of the room for the moment because Ku-" She stopped herself from saying, both because she was right by the door and Mouri-san had turned his attention from her and started toward Eri-san. She'd leave the rest to her, as she was more aware of Kudo-kun's condition, and turned back to the door.
"What happened to him?" Kogoro asked Eri as soon as he approached her.
Eri looked up at her husband. "I'm not sure. Shinichi-kun and Hakuba-kun went to see how Hattori-kun had fared. They returned because Shinichi-kun won't be here much longer. I'm not sure, but he looked worse than I've seen him so far. He's in the bathroom right now, but I don't really know how this works and I'm not going to bother him in there by asking how Hattori-kun is doing. Considering I have gotten no update from either him or Hakuba-kun, it's likely that the boy is either well or neither are aware themselves." Her eyes softened as they rested on him, calming down. "I can't really do much for the boy on my own. I think we would both find it awkward. What happened to the doctor?"
Kogoro relaxed slightly, but he recalled how much pain the boy had been in the other times he'd been around. Often Hattori-kun had whisked him away but... he hoped this would be just a matter of him changing and being no worse off than he had been. But she had to ask about the doctor. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Checked inside and out, alerted the security. I was on my way back when an officer showed up. Apparently he'd been ordered to bring the doctor to the station on Megure-keibu's orders. No doubt Kudo-kun had told him what happened, but no luck. Guy issued a BOLO and when I mentioned how the man treated Hattori-kun and Hakuba-kun… He isn't going to get far. I just wanted to check in and see if the boys were okay." He had planned to head out and start searching himself, but if Kudo-kun was so bad off that he'd left before checking on Hattori-kun, or hadn't been able to wait with him, he wasn't sure he wanted to leave without checking on him himself.
Eri sighed, openly disappointed in her husband and not caring if she showed it. "As long as the man is caught. I'm going to busy the next few days putting together both the charges for the kidnapping case and now this." Both of which she was very much looking forward to completing. "So I'll need the perpetrator if I'm going to make a case." And, while she was angry with him, she didn't feel the urge to blame him like she normally would. If he'd been going out and purposely making a fool of himself, she'd have no problem. But just from the look in his eye, she knew that was far from the case. Then she looked over at the bathroom door. She didn't know how to deal with Yukiko's son. Maybe she would call her.
"You'll get him. I'll see to it." Kogoro got out. He put his hand on her shoulder as he made two decisions. He had to tell Kudo-kun himself as well as check on him, and then he was going to find this guy. He had failed at helping find Co- Kudo-kun's kidnapper, he was NOT going to sit around this time. He stepped past her and tapped on the door. "It's me. I've got to tell you something."
The touch was new in older type of way. And her husbands words came out almost as seriously as when she'd gotten that phone call months ago, asking her if he was good enough to be a detective. She knew Ran's life had been on the line, though not at the time. She felt oddly reassured when they came out the same way now, though she said nothing back to him about it. She didn't turn when he walked past her, though she found her eyes following him. He could sound so strong, sometimes. She only wished that he didn't come with all those other, less than appealing, traits.
Shinichi was barely aware of the sound. He had an odd noise in his ears that was either distracting from the normal noises or helping to block them. He couldn't tell for sure which it was with the heartache making thought so difficult. He was half curled up on the sheets just staring; everything around him was easier to take in that way- to not think and just lay there. That noise was the door, though. He couldn't hear what the voice said. He looked over at it with his eyes, finding it difficult because he had his back to it. He mentally shrugged to himself, not having the ability to force himself to talk and hurt his lungs more, and knowing that if they wanted him badly enough, they'd come in and thenhe would have to find the energy to answer them.
The fact that he got no response from Kudo-kun was a bit perturbing. He took a moment to see if it was simply a delay, for him to get a breath, but when he still heard nothing he cracked it open and slipped in, looking at the boy's back. He wasn't sure now if the lack of an answer had been because he couldn't answer, or if he hadn't even heard him. He stepped over to the teen and around to his head before crouching down. "Kudo-kun? How..." That was a stupid question. He was in pain. Maybe. "The doctor..." 'got away. Yeah. That's a great way to say it.'
Shinichi was so tired he could barely find the energy to move, let alone do anything about the fact that Ojisan was here and he didn't know when another attack would come. He looked up at him, his image somehow seeming to move even though Shinichi wasn't. That was weird. The way that he trailed off after his spoke… the words taking a minute until they were comprehendible. Shinichi got the message. "It's fine." He clenched his teeth, closing one eye when doing more then breathing had bothered his lungs. The man wasn't one of them. He could be traced. "The police will get him."
"I... Not sure how much you helped on those other cases, but I'm heading out to help. I'm not sitting around this time." He reached and brushed a hand across Kudo-kun's forehead much like he had with Conan when he was sick and, until today, only when the kid was asleep. "Eri's eager to have him for the case she's making. I'm not going to keep her from doing that. I hope your friends are okay and I'll check back when I get him."
Shinichi smiled a little, eyes half closed, too out of it to do anything more. "Thanks, Ojisan."
Kogoro nodded and brushed his hand one more time through the sweat-soaked hair. "You're welcome." He stood and, still feeling awkward, walked out of the bathroom and shut the door. He'd nail this guy if only for the piece of mind it would bring that the guy couldn't go elsewhere and screw up worse with someone else. "Eri..."
Eri had already been watching the door and had her eyes on her husband. "Yes?"
"I'm going to find the doctor. I'm not sure how long it'll take but keep an eye on..." No, not just him. They were so close to each other now. "On the boys." He didn't wait for an answer as he started to walk past her.
Eri folded her arms and watched her husband leave. Perfect. "You do know they are boys," she said quietly. "There's only so much I can do to help when half of them aren't fully dressed."
Sato had allowed Mouri-san to leave before she heard the muttered response of Eri-san. She couldn't help the drop in decorum as a small laugh came up. She covered it by clearing her throat.
Eri blushed a bit, coughing to herself when she heard the policewoman's response. She could only hope her husband hadn't heard. That was more embarrassing than she realized, in retrospect.
Kaito woke up a while ago, but he kept his eyes closed, just listening. He didn't want to speak to anyone right now. He didn't think he would need any explanation, but he felt exhausted even though he'd just slept, and he wanted a more... unhindered view of the world. Of course, he soon found that boring and opened his eyes, raising an eyebrow as he caught Aoko looking at him. "What? I got something on my face?"
Aoko straightened her face out as best she could. "It's what isn't there that usually is."
Kaito grinned at her, it growing slowly wider as his mind open up to the possibilities. "That's because your dad's in the room."
Aoko had started to smile a bit but, at his words, she felt herself blush and shook her head to get some of her hair to cover her cheeks before either male saw it. "Kaitoooo..."she hissed quietly.
Kaito laughed, his head falling back on the pillow. It felt like it had been too long since he'd done that: really laughed at something. The last time must have been when he'd found Hakuba had been cuffed by someone other than him.
Nakamori watched Kaito and his daughter from where he was leaning against the wall. It was nice to hear the kid laugh but the way his daughter was looking made it seem like it was at her expense. Then again, most of the stuff the boy pulled was on those around him. If it bothered her, he knew Aoko could take care of herself.
Aoko was so pleased to hear him laugh, especially after everything he and Hakuba-kun... and those other two... had gone through. She decided that, this time, she'd let him slide. She smiled and started giggling, not sure why but Kaito's laughter was infectious.
Kaito smiled, resting against the pillow. He suddenly, and out of nowhere, had the urge to find out where the hospital kept all of their pillows and fill the room with that. That would be fun. Too bad Nakamori was there; but hey, if he wanted he could get around that. Hm. Maybe not his room. Maybe Hakuba's. That would be even more fun. Kaito knew he was smiling at his own thoughts, but he had nothing much else to do. He looked over at Aoko, holding back his more... irrational urges. "Hey, you've been sitting here this whole time?"
She wanted to say yesbut she knew he'd see through her. "I did go over to keep an eye on Hakuba-kun when you said you wanted to sleep. He had seen you but he wanted to check on those other two I heard were here with you. Dad went to get the information but I stayed to keep him from repeating that stunt he pulled to check on you. When dad took him to the others I did come back here, just like I said I would."
"Aoko. I don't need you by my side twenty-four seven." Kaito looked over at the blinds. He had called her last night, too... so how long had she worried and how long had she been here? Kaito raised an eyebrow, cheekily smiling. "I'm perfectly fine. It's just my arm." His chest still hurt, but he had enough air to at least speak in complete, if not shorter, sentences. "You know, you're gonna wither and die here, watching me." He said half-heartedly, feigning sadness to the point that it felt funny. "You could have at least gotten something to eat. You know what? I'm hungry too. I'm in the mood for something greasy, fattening, and that will kill me." Kaito shooed her away with his hand, closing one eye and keeping the other one opened as he smiled and spoke a little quieter. "I'm sure you and your dad both need it. Go eat and sneak me back something. I promise I won't be too bad while you're gone."
"Kaito, your 'not too bad' is far above anyone else's very bad." She reached out and stroked her hand quickly through his hair as she stood up. Trying to mess it up was hopeless as it always appeared that way; while trying to straighten it was an exercise in futility, she could at least get a reaction from it...
Kaito sighed, halfway to batting her hand away before deciding he cared how Aoko would react to that; so he stopped, his wrist just touching her arm. "Really, it's nothing. You know that. I just hurt my arm. That, and a little bruising. You know I'm not that bad off. Come on, I want food and I know you're hungry too." He said the words quiet enough that this was a conversation between just the two of them and not her father.
Aoko smiled but then sighed herself. "Fine." She held his hair a bit tight, just enough that he'd notice the hold. "And no messing up Hakuba-kun's room or setting any pranks. You stay put until we get back." She lowered her voice a bit further, "Or I will eat the chocolate cake from the cafeteria myself. Got it?" She was glad the nurse that came in to check the IV before her dad got back had mentioned it. She had been so nice about everything and very open.
Ah, Aoko, I was serious when I said I was hungry. Kaito couldn't remember. The last time he'd eaten, he'd barely touched anything. That would explain why. "I'll trrryyyy," Kaito drolled out. "Come on, Aoko. Don't be mean about it."
"Fine, just make sure you think about what you'll be missing out on." She moved her hand around to the side of his head... but her dad was there... and she'd already stood... so she gave a light tap with one finger to his forehead before she turned to her father.
Nakamori looked up at her when his daughter turned to him. He'd been watching them, making sure both that Kaito was all right and that the boy didn't try anything funny. He could never be too careful around him, and he didn't know how that translated to him being injured. Kaito was usually a hazard in one way or another. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
Aoko sighed and nodded her head in Kaito's direction. She could do it too when she wanted. "He says he's hungry and we should go eat something and bring him back some too. What do you think, Otousan?"
Nakamori crossed his arms, letting out a deep breath. He was hungry, but it was easy enough to ignore it. He'd had to do so on more than one occasion. To have his daughter do it, too... that he didn't like. There was food here. They didn't have to go far and they could take turns, unless Kaito had done it to have some time alone. In either case, he wasn't too sure he wanted to leave the boy to his own makings. "If you're hungry, we can go get something." He watched Kaito, seeing the boy meet his eyes with a smile for a moment before looking around the room. Louder he said, "And if someone gets into any trouble while we're gone, you can be sure they won't forget what comes of it." A threat, yes, but not one he would back up or one he thought would intimidate the boy at all, so it became more of a warning. Do not do anything. I will not be happy.
Aoko bit her lip to keep from laughing, glad her back was to Kaito.
"Come on." Nakamori put his hand solidly on his daughters shoulder. "Let's go."
Kaito watched them leave, playing around with the sheets for a little bit as he moved, gauging his own areas of comfort. No acrobatics for a few days, but he could move normally just fine. When he was sure at least ten minutes had passed, he got up. He didn't dare put the pillows under the covers, because if Aoko got back before he did, that would only make her angrier. Best to leave things as they were. He went into the bathroom first. He had to do something about the absence of a shirt to hide the bandages, and he had to do something about his hair. He left the bathroom after looking himself over, sneaking out his own door and looking around to make sure no one saw him. He very carefully and quietly made his way through the hospital, peeking into rooms with doors open, but mostly focusing on the ones the hospital staff were using. Robes. Nope, didn't want robes. Too obvious. He went down to the first floor to see what he could find. Oh, one of those doors had a keypad. Kaito peeked in, but the window was dark. Not a waiting room, then. Lounge, maybe? He looked at the keypad, slowly brushing his fingers over it. This would be so much easier if he knew the amount of numbers they used. It definitely had a six, seven, and two in it. The rest of the buttons he wasn't sure. They weren't as worn. Maybe those were repeated numbers. Taking a few minutes and seeing if he could, he tried a few different combinations, most dealing with six numbers since that was the most common. When that didn't get him anywhere, he just sat off in the darker part of the corridor and waited. It wasn't long before someone entered, and Kaito waited until they exited again, casually slipping in a piece of paper as he passed so the door wouldn't click shut. He walked past it with her first, doubling back and going in, closing the door behind him. Once he was free to roam around, he saw the lockers. The room was kinda small, with only a table and some chairs, but he focused more on the lockers themselves. Taking a paperclip he'd snagged from the front desk on the first floor, he messed with a few of them until he found one that was definitely female. He looked through it, borrowing a bit of this or that. He didn't take much and he was giving it back, so he didn't care. He actually used power to lighten his hair color. He just didn't want anyone who had seen him, however many people that had been, to be treating him like the others. Right now, he was a free man, and he liked it. Lipstick. Well, that he stole and did not give back. He used it mostly to keep his hair down and to the side. The deep red didn't show up much with his dark hair and he wiped off anything that did. He'd never improvised so much in his life before. Once that was done, he grabbed the coat hanging off the door, threw it over his shoulders, and exited the room. Time to find out what had been going on while he was out. He went to the main desk, asking where Hattori currently was. He'd be with Tantei-kun, he was sure, so where he found one he'd find the other.
The nurse looked up. "Well, I guess you're the relief. About time that jerk got himself in enough trouble. Just lucky that it wasn't worse. The one you're asking for, that one is easy enough. Shina's still watching over him so don't do anything to upset him." She eyed the person a second, just to be sure he got her warning. "Recovery. Down that way." She motioned to the recovery room that connected to the OR.
"Thank you so much." Kaito was missing something, but at the moment, the role she was offering was easy to take up. "I'll keep that in mind." Kaito thought in his head about adjustments to his voice as he entered recovery. He didn't know who the woman at the front had been indicating, but she was going to be a nurse and a woman. Easy enough since he only saw one when he entered. "Hello, I'm looking for Hattori Heiji." He didn't exactly know what he was supposed to be doing with Hattori, but that should have been enough to get him in the right direction.
Shina eyed the new person. "You used his name. That's a start. First, would you move someone away when they appear to be helping a patient in distress, even if that person is not a doctor? And who has the final say about the patient's treatment, family or you?" She wanted to make sure this guy wasn't about to treat the patient poorly. Hattori-kun, and the other boys, had been through enough as far as she was concerned and, protocol or not, no one was getting near them until she was convinced they would treat the patients accordingly.
"First, if a patient is in distress I would want to evaluate the situation before acting. I would never push another away when, be them doctor or not, they may know what was happening better than I; and I would want their opinion." Kaito felt that was the right answer. Considering it was his own and he didn't care about fancy titles- that was just a plus. "After that, if it was necessary, I would find some way to have them back off without having to resort to physically touching them if possible. We are here for the patients as well as their family and friends. As for treatment, final say should always rest with the family, though it would be best if they were talked through all their options. In most cases, parents often believe that their children will or won't need something critical to helping, and it is our job to provide the information as best we can." Kaito gave her a sweet smile, seeing her defensiveness and having already picked it up from the front desk. "I hear that there was some trouble earlier. I do hope it was resolved."
Shina sighed. "Everything you said, the jerk in charge of the patient did the exact opposite in every respect." She rubbed her forehead. The man had been giving her a headache and some further grief after the first incident. "Hattori-kun had experienced some sort of relapse, with extreme difficulty breathing. Another patient, a friend of his, had apparently noticed it and acted. The... windbag had grabbed the teen and tried to pull him away. If he'd tried to take the time to examine him without applying the pressure Hakuba-kun had been, I doubt we'd have been in time. He had become so disoriented that the man that was with him, nice guy and very protective of Hattori-kun, had to stay with him the whole time. He has been awake for a little while and two of his friends just left- Hakuba-kun and... another teenage friend of theirs. He seemed a bit spooked by doctors. Hakuba-kun said he'd recently had a bad experience. Follow me. He's over here in the corner."
Kaito nodded, following after her. "I'm very sorry to hear that." He hid his emotions perfectly behind a mask that was more sympathy for a stranger than anything else. Hattori had relapsed. Hakuba had been there. Mixings those together was good, but that meant Hattori was in danger again, and they'd only just escaped it. He'd see him. It seemed if he was in recovery, he came away okay. The newcomer had him thinking. He didn't know anyone else who was a teenager that would have come besides maybe Tantei-kun's girlfriend or Hattori's. This one was a boy, and afraid of doctors. There were very few reasons for the people he knew were aware of the situation to do act like that, and the number one reason would be to hide.
"Hattori-kun." Shina stepped around the curtain, having drawn it around him at his request after the others had left unexpectedly.
"Hey, Shina-san." Heiji was a bit worried about Kudo, but Hakuba had left with him. No doubt they had tried to get back to the room but... if Kudo had collapsed, then they could be anywhere waiting for him to change. "What's up? Can I head back ta the room now? No' that your company isn't great."
"And my cookies, too." Shina laughed. "I'm glad you are enjoying them."
"Well, it's been awhile. No' tha' they aren't good."
"Well, do you think you can hold off eating the rest for the moment? A new doctor has shown up and he asked for you."
Heiji moved the rest of the cookies off to the side. "Ya sure he's OK?"
"Relax. Would I bring him over here if I thought he was anything like that windbag?" She saw Hattori-kun smile. That had been the way they had referred to him since she had used it earlier, although he still tossed in the 'deflated' every now and then. "Sensei." She suddenly realized she hadn't got his name.
"Yoshiro," Kaito said on instinct, not even bothering to come up with a name. He'd kept his smile from earlier and offered a hand to Hattori. "It's nice to meet you, Hattori-kun. You do not need to worry. I won't eat you or anything." He added in a small laugh, some of his own humor mixing in with that of who he was pretending to be- The nice, funny doctor. That would work fine for him.
She watched closely to make sure Hattori-kun would be all right with the new doctor.
Heiji eyed him but reached forward anyway. 'Guy's left-handed... trying ta be funny... wants ta put me at ease. Suppose I can give 'im a chance.' "Same ta ya, Yoshiro-sensei."
Kaito smiled, not at all surprised at Hattori's new wariness. "I wasn't updated on how the procedure went. Is he to be escorted back up on a gurney or will a wheelchair suffice?" He turned back to the woman who had come with him. Shina. Nice lady.
Shina looked at Hattori-kun. He had seemed well enough but she wasn't too sure about the movement so soon. "I'd prefer he be wheeled up on that gurney. He can be transferred up there back to his bed." She turned back to Hattori-kun. "And stay in your own bed this time. I know you wanted to help Conan-kun, but we can just put you two back together when you get up there, so no walking around on your own or I'll strap you down and insert a catheter until I get on tomorrow. Got it?"
Heiji would have been nervous about the threat if he didn't already know he would make sure not to give her a reason. "Sure thing. I won' have ta get up 'gain, fer awhile anyway. Ya saw ta that." He blushed a bit, sure she had stepped out of the area but... Kudo had ta mention the bathroom. Why did it have to be right after they left?
Kaito was laughing inside- on the outside it was only a kind one, and a smile. "You'll have me to look out for as well for the time being, and I can call Shina-san up anytime if you fall out of line." And Kaito meant it, be him the fake doctor or himself. This was a great way to keep Hattori in line. He got to the other side of the bed, very sure of the layout of the hospital since he'd gone though it already. He was curious. He knew where the larger elevators were, more towards the middle and away from those half-sized ones for normal visitors coming in from the front. "Shall we go then?"
Shina was a bit surprised but kind of intrigued. "Are you sure you don't want an orderly to do it? Not many doctors will wheel a patient themselves."
"I'm sure I can make an exception or two. Hattori-kun clearly has some bad experience of his own and if I can't do something as simple as this, then I can't see how he'd trust me to take care of him." Kaito was quite honest about it, too. If he had really been a doctor, these would be the actions he hoped he would take.
Shina smiled. This guy seemed to be more than an improvement over the jerk that had been taking care- or supposed to have been taking care of the boys. "It may be simple, but as you said, it both requires and builds trust. As Hattori-kun is a patient on my floor and I ought to get back upstairs as well, I'll accompany you. I want to check on Conan-kun. I hope the others were able to comfort him after we left with Hattori-kun. I feel bad I never asked Hakuba-kun if he was okay without him."
"Thank you for joining me." Kaito patted the bed once before pushing it. He needed both arms, and though the bandages were hidden, he'd have to remember not to use his other arm very much for at least a few days. He wasn't too sure how much damage he'd done himself. "We'll sort everything out when we arrive."
Shina grabbed the handhold on the right side as it passed a set off for the room. She had done this plenty of times and knew that. If the guy was left handed, since he offered that one to Hattori-kun, the weaker side would need a bit of help. It was an unspoken assistance.
Heiji tipped his head up to look at the doctor pushing him. After the last guy, he was still a bit leery, but he had seemed sincere in his desire to put him at ease- he just wasn't too crazy about the guy being out of his sight. "So, what would ya say ta..." He had to word this right. "Ta my little brother sharing' a bed, even as a patient himself?"
"I would say it was unwise. In order to give the both of you the best treatment we can, we need to make sure you stay still and are properly receiving it."
"Even if it means he pulls out 'is own IV?"
"No. Then it would be wise to call one of us so that we could better handle the situation." Kaito said without pause. "If necessary for the betterment of the patient, I'd find a more suitable solution, such as keeping you in a bed like you are in now and simply moving you next to one another."
"Ya, 'cept it was the windbag... sayin' he was gonna move 'im... that made 'im do it. He'd been... called 'cause Conan-kun had been sick. 'Parently thought that, even with Occhan ho..." Guy was a doctor. Not like it would seem odd to him. "Holdin' us. The fact that the report... 'a what bed we're in was wrong... was what 'e was worried 'bout."
"Then he was worrying about all the wrong things, though both of you being in the same bed is not the ideal situation, especially after going through surgery. You will be lying down for a while and not moving. If anything happens, call and we will work out a compromise."
Heiji nodded. He seemed reasonable enough, and the side by side was better, both for medical purpose as well as just plain keeping an eye on him... and from the fact that ahou had shown up down here, he wasn't worried. "Good. Better'n than 'im... being so far." He had cleared up most of the first incident. Now for the second. What he had heard of it, anyway, and some he remembered himself.
"I doubt I'm the only one who would have answered you this way." Kaito smiled, though he knew Hattori couldn't see it. "Most medical professionals are in this job to do it for the betterment of society, not for their own gain. You must have just gotten a bad egg out of the bunch. I am here to make sure it doesn't happen again." And he was. He was picking up things he didn't know, getting the information he was looking for without even asking, and worrying now more about Tantei-kun than he had before; but they were going to see him and Hattori wasn't in as much of a rush to see him as he had been before, so that kept Kaito calm.
"Next question. Someone is helpin' someone else, telling' ya exactly what might be happenin'. Would ya pull 'im away, hurtin' 'im, only ta take yer time checkin' the other?"
"I would never cause pain to stop pain. That's foolishness in itself." Kaito held back on the bit of anger that wanted to follow his words, calming himself. "You're grilling me, I see. That's understandable. If someone was explaining to me the situation, I would never remove them if they'd already had it underway. The best thing to do would be to get it resolved, not to try and take the spotlight. Time here is more valuable than most, so I can't say I wouldn't be checking them over if I was there, though hardly the way you described."
"Ya wouldn't, say, threaten ta remove 'em from the hospital fer embarrassin' ya?"
"Of course not. Only if they were upsetting the other patients to an extreme amount would I even think of turning to that option."
"Good. Appears the windbag... did it ta himself first, though I'da preferred hearin' the cops had... escorted him away but, so long as he's gone..." Heiji tipped his head back as far as he could to see the guy briefly. "Ya may gain our trust afta all." Heiji moved his head back to a more natural position. Satisfied the guy would stick to what he had said, especially if he sent someone for Shina-san.
Kaito made a decision then, and he had no plans on breaking it. "I do hope I can achieve that, if only for the sake of making sure Shina-san doesn't have a go at me afterwards." He laughed lightly, keeping up his persona and getting used to this new image. He'd be staying with it a while.
"Ya read my mind."
Shina laughed and looked back at the two. "So long as you both behave yourselves, you don't have to worry."
"I'll make sure to keep that in mind, and I'll make sure that he does as well. If the need arises, I think it's best to keep you in the bed you're in now. Should you need to be moved, we'll figure something out."
Shina shifted her grip. "Okay, here we go. Home sweet home." She knocked quickly, recalling how protective the others were. "It's Shina. We brought someone with us that wants to move back up here. Is that okay?"
Eri heard the knock at the door and the voice of the woman from earlier. She tucked Yukiko's child under the covers as best she could. She was no doctor herself and, for a while, she'd been afraid of entering. The boy was unconscious and still sweating pretty badly, but there wasn't much Eri could do herself. She fussed over him a little while longer, calling over her shoulder to Sato-keiji. "She's a friend. Let her in."
Sato nodded, having also recognized the voice, but wanting to make sure Eri-san was set with Kudo... no, Conan-kun now. She didn't want to mess up if she was speaking. Might as well put herself in the mindset. She opened the door and saw the gurney with Hattori-kun. "Hattori-kun. Good timing." 'Really good timing.' She opened the door all the way and stepped back to allow them entrance.
Heiji had expected some reaction from Hakuba-kun until he zoomed in on Kudo, back to Conan-kun but... he looked worse now, and not just because he was smaller. "Oh man... Ku-onan-kun."
Kaito walked in and saw Tantei-kun. He looked sickly if he ever had anything to say about it, but he'd expected it. Hattori's reaction made him think that something worse had happened. He pushed the bed in enough to get them out of the hallway and shut the door, nodding his head to the nurse. "We'll look at him real quick so we can push the bed beside him."
Shina nodded and headed over, noting the IV out. "Please say this time was an accident or something." She set to work getting a fresh needle and making sure that she taped it down.
"It was, I'm sorry. He needed to use the bathroom. We got him to hold still enough that he didn't hurt himself." Eri hadn't thought of an excuse before, but since the boy had been in the bathroom, that one came to her.
Shina shook her head. "He ought to have just left it in. It isn't good for him to be off it for any real length of time. Some of that was meant to help with the withdrawal."
Kaito walked over to him, checking him out physically first. He'd frozen at that word. Withdrawal?Never mind. He knew where to pick up the stuff he needed from his trip around his own hospital room. Penlight first. He checked to make sure that he hadn't suffered something that affected his motor skills. His eyes were a bit slow to react. That was worrying, but not too usual. He took out the small blood pressure cuff as he went to take his pulse, seeing Tantei-kun's wrists were scarred and instead going to his neck. He counted as he looked over at the clock in the room. He knew the basics of medicine. Hopefully, it would be enough. He took the cuff off, a child's, after reading it and looked over at the nurse. "He has low blood pressure. He should be taking something for it." He didn't want to use the word 'dangerous', sure the fact that the boy should be put on medicine would get the point across. "His pulse is slow, but nothing that needs to be worried about." Kaito wasn't sure what other injures he had, though his hands sought the small device on the rack. He waved it across Tantei-kun's forehead, looking at the numbers. "His fever is at 102.9." He didn't know what needed to be done to take it down, but he was sure that telling her the information would be enough for her to act on it. He wiped some of the sweat off the kid's face, seeing he was getting no reaction from it. That scared him more than a little. He didn't know what else to do.
She nodded and had adjusted the IV as well as making some notes. "The fever should not have reached that high. He is not to be taken off this IV again. If you agree, I could give him a booster. I had one after the first time in case he got worse but... I left with Hattori-kun and no one said anything about Conan-kun having shown any further signs." She looked up at the doctor, but pulled the capped needle out of her pocket.
He nodded to her. That would help, and it would help quickly. He'd have to stay and make sure it worked. He knew nothing of what to do himself after this. He thought about checking the injuries, but that could be done after they'd made sure he wasn't suffering from something more. The stethoscope was there, but he'd have to do it with Tantei-kun laying down and he wouldn't be able to hear well that way. He was going to blow this if he didn't do something fast. He needed to help him. Now he had to try and remember how. With Jii-chan, most of the stuff he'd covered had been blood-loss and internal injury. This was fever and Kami knows what else.
Shina stuck the needle into the input on the IV line and slowly injected the medication. "That should help relieve the fever and any other symptoms of the heroin withdrawal." She looked over at the woman that had said she was a lawyer. "You make sure he goes away and staysaway."
Eri looked at the nurse from where she'd been staring at Yukiko's son and the new doctor. He seemed young but there were many that were now-a-days. "Who, the other doctor? You don't need to worry. That man's not coming back." Her tone was steel. "This one won't be either if he's anything like the last."
"Him, too. I had meant the one that gave this child that stuff in the first place."
"Also already taken care of." She said with equal certainty. "And safely behind bars."
Kaito didn't outwardly shiver but that woman's eyes on him were liked cactus needles. The stare he returned, though, showed nothing of it, only his sure confidence that he'd do whatever could be done to help Tantei-kun. "I will hopefully replace your lost faith in the people's morals."
Eri nodded back, replacing her gaze on Yukiko's son. The boy looked so terrible.
As soon as she finished and removed the needle, she recapped it but knew it had to be disposed of properly. "Yoshiro-sensei, while I go dispose of this would you check him over? Some of his injuries may require fresh bandages and, with the perspiring, it would be wise to change them anyway. I will be right back." She said it as both a promise and a warning.
Good. He could do that. "Step back, please." He waited for the woman to back away, going and getting the supplies he needed. Taking the sheet off when he returned, the woman moved back on her own. Well, that worked too. Should have done that from the beginning. He looked Tantei-kun over, for real this time. His arm was bleeding through bandages that were already on it. He'd get back to that in a moment. He touched some of the ones around the boy's chest, seeing they were set fine, and worried on wrapping his legs and ankles. There was a wound bleeding on his leg, but it would heal with or without stitches so he simply covered it. He went back to the bandages on his arm and removed them, stemming the blood with gauze as he held it still over the wound. He knew Shina was in the room, watching him. "This needs to be cleaned and closed up. I'd appreciate it if you'd get me some antiseptic and add some more pain medication to that dosage. Get some of the longer lasting absorbable stitches while you're at it, so the boy doesn't need to be put through further pain."
"You sure you want to do it here?" She stepped back from where she had been heading for the door and leaned over. It did look as if it would only take one or two to close it off. "I suppose you're right...I'll get them." She left and hurried to the supply area, dropping the used needle in the appropriate bin on her way. She retrieved the newer synthetic stuff and the smaller needle. The doctor had been right about another thing, the boy did NOT need a repeat trip to get any stitches removed, but she opted for the middle ground as far as the duration. No sense having the stuff hang around for too long. She shut the door behind her and returned to the room.
Kaito cleaned up as much of the blood as he could. He'd need the area sterile and he didn't know where they kept the antibiotic. He had enough cuts himself to know how to handle it, and he barely noticed the pain of moving while he was doing it. He was small and there wasn't much weight to shift around. Once the wound was as cleaned up as good as it was going to get, he took some extra gauze and wiped at Tantei-kun's face and neck to get ride of some of the perspiration. He heard the nurse come back in and prepared to get started.
Shina placed the stuff on a tray and, noticing the action, smiled. "Here. You'll want these now." She offered the box of gloves prior to taking two for herself.
Kaito took the gloves and put them on, disinfecting the area. "Thank you. I know this isn't exactly procedure, but it saves time and trouble."
"Preaching to the choir, so to speak." She reached forward and threaded the needle effortlessly before holding it out to him.
Kaito nodded, knowing solidly that her interests fell along the lines of his own. He would have liked to inject some pain medication directly into the area, but Tantei-kun was far enough under that this wouldn't wake him. That didn't stop Kaito from peeking up after he'd pulled the needle through and looking for any change in expression. Nothing. So he continued, stitching up the area. Once it was done he took some of the disinfectant and rewashed the area to get rid of the remaining blood, not at all affected by what he'd done. He really should stop injuring himself so much that doing it on someone else felt so effortless. "Thank you. I don't see anything else wrong, though he should be put on that medication until his blood pressure is stable again." Kaito stood, smiling over at Hattori who he knew had been watching them the whole time. "Don't worry about him. Your friend will be just fine."
Heiji'd been all but ready to pull himself over if the guy had done anything he didn't like, but Shina-san had been there most of the time and he could tell this guy was being gentle. He breathed out slowly and nodded. "A... domo arigatou, both of you."
Shina was pleased with this guy's actions, and he did seem to know what he was doing withoutneeding to be all high and mighty about it. He'd even cleaned up himself. "Nice job, Sensei."
Kaito smiled over at her, removing the gloves inside out and disposing of them. "Thank you, but it's my job." In a way. He was out there to protect those he could. This was simply an extension of it. "I'll continue to monitor him for a while to make sure the fever drops."
Shina nodded. "Then, I believe, if the others have no objections, I'm going to return to my post. You know where to find me." She had removed her gloves as she spoke and tossed them. She bowed to the others as she headed for the door, stopping briefly beside Hattori-kun. "I think he's okay, but if he acts off, the other two know where to find me; just make sure he does put you beside him. I'll mark off the gurney." She winked and received a nod from the teen before she continued out the door.
Kaito watched her. He wasn't sure if she knew he could catch her words - probably not, his hearing was better than most - but he smiled after her anyway and gave a small bow himself. He went over to Hattori, getting near the foot of the gurney so he could pull it and then slide it alongside the bed. He kept the smile on his face as his arms, and even his chest, protested the movement, but it was nothing compared to what he'd been doing before. He had to move near the head to get it situated so it wouldn't affect the machines, sneaking back around to Tantei-kun and starting one up, knowing which buttons to hit, again, from playing with his own. He put the finger clamp on the small finger. He had to watch his heart rate. Make sure it went up as well. When he was conscious, he'd need to check him mentally. Kaito shook those thoughts off. That was, if the real doctor didn't show up by then. And if Tantei-kun didn't start getting better, he might need to go out and find that doctor himself. He didn't know what to do in that type of situation. He looked over at Hattori after he was done, increasing his smile a bit. "Now, you stay in bed this time. Neither of you are going anywhere and I'll be here if you need anything." He thought about telling him, but there were two others in the room and he was already in enough trouble, not that he cared. Besides that, a doctor would give the impression that he was more of a protective figure than anything he could accomplish as himself.
Heiji was glad when the doctor kept his word and moved his bed right next to Kudo. He reached out and touched Kudo's hand. The unease from when he saw them leaving hadn't lightened up. He didn't want the doctor to question him so he leaned over and whispered as best he could. "Glad he got you back here in time. I was worried 'bout ya leavin', but I trusted 'im."Speaking of which, where was he? He'd have thought Hakuba would have stayed here unless he had already made to return to his room. He'd have to ask the others.
As if I can't hear you, Kaito thought with a smile. Seems Tantei-kun had a little run in of his own. Either way, he knew how to read monitors. He'd be able to notice anything wrong, and knew the basics of how to act if it did. Same thing with Hattori. He would have liked having Hakuba around in case he was wrong, but that obviously wasn't going to happen. Kaito frowned. Okay, wait. He was just thinking of going to his room, but the nurse had said on the way up that Hakuba had been downstairs and anxious to check on Tantei-kun, according to Hattori who filled her in on their absence. He couldn't see him going back to his room instead of here. That had him a bit worried, but he had to watch Tantei-kun first. He'd find him later. Then a bit of guilt bit at him for lying to Hattori, twice now, and about something important. He looked over at him, debating his initial decision. "I meant it when I said anything. I am not only here to help you medically." In fact, I'm here more to help you non-medically than not.It was all resting on the reception he received as to what he would do. If Hattori was strong enough for it, he would tell him. If he needed him more for the professionalism, he would not.
Heiji looked over at the doctor. He had been good so far. "Actually, we got a couple more friends here, one's no doubt still in 'is room but the other left me a bit ago an' I know he was headin' back 'ere. He may've gone inta our other friend's room. Any way ya could go check?"
Kaito looked back over at Tantei-kun. He'd wanted to do that anyway but... Hattori was here and there were two others. "As long as you watch your friend for me. He'll be fine, but he is still sick. If anything happens, I want you to call the nurse." Kaito didn't think he needed to but he pointed to the call button anyway, giving Hattori a smile. "Understand?"
"I wi-"
Sato had been confused at Hattori-kun's question and couldn't wait. "Hakuba-kun stopped by but he headed right back out and said he'd be back with you. I wondered why he didn't-"
"What! Ya sure?" Heiji didn't like it- not at all.
Considering he could hardly get the detective to leave his side when he didn't need the help, something either happened to him or he'd had to leave for some reason or another. He didn't see the latter happening and he didn't need Hattori's outburst to know the other didn't think so either. Kaito kept the smile, if not a little more steel in his gaze, and tapped the bed. "Between here and recovery. That's not much ground to cover. Don't worry, Hattori-kun, I'll see what I can do."
"I really don' like this." Heiji looked at Kudo and muttered. "I though' it was jus' you."
Okay, fine. That could do with some Kaito and not doctor reassurance. He was sure that Hattori, at least, was gonna kill him afterwards. "Don't worry. I can find him." There was no other way to do it without showing the others in the room so rolled up his left sleeve, pretending to look at a watch he didn't have as he faced Hattori, putting his pointer finger to the inside of his arm. It had worked before, and as much as he didn't like the association with himself, it would work again. "I'm good at finding people."
"Ya'd betta..." Heiji looked up with doubt that a doctor could pull it off... until he saw the marks. Those had been something he could never mistake. It took only a second to work past his shock. "Go fast. I don' have a good feelin' bout this."
"No one's ever said I wasn't fast." Kaito smiled, tipping his head back. "Watch him." Then he was as polite as he could be as he went to the door, shooting off down the hallway and checking every room in between for the stupid detective. They'd already been through this with Tantei-kun, how could that idiot find time to get himself caught up in something at the hospital?
"Well, he was a strange one. Not bad, but strange." Eri turned to Hattori. "What was that about?"
"Hakuba left with Kudo, brinin' 'im back here. If ya mean it, that he left ta come back, I don' know... but he never came back."
Eri looked back at the door. That was worrying. The boy was in no great condition himself, and she hardly saw him leaving his friends. "I see your point." She tipped her head to Sato-keiji who was still in the room. "Go help look for him. I'll take care of anything here."
Sato nodded, already reaching for the door. "On it." They did not need to go through this again. What would have stopped Hakuba-kun from going straight to Hattori-kun? She slipped out and started for the nurse's station to start asking around. Hakuba-kun's unique hair color may have landed him as a possible suspect before, but now it would be a good thing.
Eri looked back over at Hattori, finding a chair and sitting down. "With you boys, it's all a game of waiting. You're going to have to learn to stop getting yourselves in trouble." She looked back over at Yukiko's son. He'd slept through all of that, so at least now he'd get some rest that she felt partially responsible for taking from him. She hadn't noticed his severe health problems until after his return. Then she looked over Hattori. He, on the other hand, looked much better than before. Then she thought briefly about her fool of a husband who had left during all of this and sighed. "Really, it's problem after problem. It's a good thing we're all so capable of handling them."
Heiji looked over at her. "I thought it was jus' Kudo, but since that started after I got to know him, guess I shouldn't be too surprised that it would extend... they left and I saw how bad Kudo looked. I figured that's why I felt weird."
Eri looked back over at him. "A strange feeling, like your dreams, then?" She thought about that pensively. "I'm not sure if I believe in things like that, but if it's true, than at least there's a police officer on the scene now. I'm sure everything will be fine. Somehow, with all the things I've seen over the years, it always is."
Heiji looked over at the door and back to Kudo. He hoped that it would be, too, but he was also glad he didn't feel the need to fall asleep, unless it might help. He took a deep breath and relaxed. He had to hope Kuroba could pull off another find... and soon.
...
He was still nervous, but at least he had a trump card. He glanced at the kid, still out cold. Being a doctor did have its perks. He had to make it to his exit, and the kid was coming with him. He'd warned him, but the kid had decided to try to order him around, again. "You should have just kept your mouth shut."
...
Kaito rested his back against the wall, panting a bit. He really had to stop moving around so much. He'd gone down the path that Hakuba would have taken, even going down side paths that could have been taken, not missing any doors. Where is the idiot? He took a breath, looking down the hallway he was on. Okay then, first floor first, then I'll see about the second. If I don't find him by then, I'll see what else I can figure out.