Chapter 29 Touch and Go

Everything seemed to stand still, the shots sounding so loud and then there was silence, and you could have heard a pin drop. How long it was that the macabre tableau stayed immobile, nobody ever knew; before the police barged in and surrounded Hanataba and the man who still held the gun in his hand. He was incoherent after having seen Inuyasha as a youkai, the hanyou's concealment spell having been removed so as to instil fear. Not that he would be discovered now, it was late and Inuyasha had transformed.

Once the man was detained, the wailing of the women and children started, all of them wanted to reach their fallen pup; but the police stopped them all, Inuyasha could not be moved until he had been stabilised by the medical services. They could tell that he was alive but only just; Hanataba could hear the shallow reedy breathing that was far from normal, but the ambulance with the emergency teams was right outside.

As was Sesshoumaru, Kagome, Kyouko, Shippou and Kouga; the news had been televised already and time had passed far quicker than any of those in the hostage situation had realised. The four youkai had already ascertained that their small offspring and mates were safe and sound; the only casualty being Inuyasha who was alive but barely. Sesshoumaru had to tell Kagome the news, reinforcing the fact that the boy was alive at the moment; but he didn't tell her that his life was in the balance, even more so as he was human.

He didn't have to tell her, she knew the significance of the moonless night as well as any by now and what was worse she couldn't get near him. Sesshoumaru was very efficient even under stress; his training for quick and decisive thought was almost instinctive and he had contacted the youkai hospital already, and the team was arriving as he watched. The human medics had been at Inuyasha's side trying to stabilise his vital signs and he was ready to be moved; so they took him to the private ambulance of the youkai hospital.

Both Sesshoumaru and Kagome went with him in the back and all the others went home with the children to settle them down before following on. No one was prepared to wait at home for news, they all wanted to be close at hand; the police questions could wait until much later. Sesshoumaru's eyes never left his brother's still and barely living form and he was silent as the grave; Kagome too did not speak but watched the monitor that showed her love still breathed.

She was too upset to cry and her face was pale and pinched; what a welcome home, but how glad she was that she had been on her way today in any case. She had arrived just as the news reached the Manor, and was immediately part of the group going to find out what had happened. Now the ambulance was arriving at the hospital and Kagome was relieved to see a face she knew; Jinenji, the large horse hanyou who was a gentle giant.

Jinenji recognised her but this was not the time for re-acquaintance; he ignored both her and Sesshoumaru as he made an initial assessment himself from his observation, and what he already had from the medics who had phoned through all the details so far of Inuyasha's condition. He knew that there was no time to lose as the human boy was sinking fast. Sesshoumaru and Kagome were led to a small ante room where they waited for the diagnosis.

Eventually Jinenji appeared and went to speak with them, addressing himself to Sesshoumaru. His demeanour was most grave and he was not fooled by the calm exterior face of the Lord, he had seen too often how people reacted in bad situations; but the hanyou was confident and knew what he was talking about.

"My Lord Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha has three bullets in his leg, arm and one that glanced off his ribs. These are not serious at all and are going to be dealt with immediately. However there are three others. One is close to his spine and at this moment he has no feeling in his lower extremities; when this is removed there is a good chance that the feeling will come back, especially when he returns to hanyou form in the morning, but I have to warn you it may not.

"Another is close to his heart and he is lucky here too; it came close to killing him instantly, it is tricky but again he should be fine with no lasting damage come the morning. The one that concerns me the most however is lodged in his brain. The images show that it is not too far in but that is not the problem; he is not strong enough to face such lengthy surgery at this moment, he must wait until his youki returns.

"I will not hide from you his predicament; the bullet will have to be removed tomorrow, the danger is not his death so much as you have Tenseiga with you, but damage to the brain may have occurred that cannot be restored by his youki." Jinenji saw the tormented eyes of the youkai lord and sympathised.

"He is going into surgery now for the relatively quick operations and preparation for tomorrow now; although if he looses strength we will have to stop."

"If my brother succumbs to the bullet and has need of Tenseiga, could you operate on the brain before I use the fang?" Sesshoumaru asked softly, as Jinenji turned gentle eyes on the worried lord.

"I am sorry but that is not possible. We need to monitor brain activity as we operate. If he had his youki now we would still have to wait, but it could impede the damage."

"Would it help if I was able to feed him some of my youki?" Sesshoumaru asked. Jinenji considered carefully.

"It might, at the least it will not harm; just do not expect too highly. Your brother is very seriously ill My Lord; it is best to be prepared." Now he turned attention to Kagome and took her hands in his. "I will do my best for him my dear girl, but it is going to be rough." Kagome nodded her understanding, not trusting herself to speak and Jinenji went to scrub up and took Sesshoumaru to do the same. Jinenji had another word of caution for the youkai lord.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, I know your sword has limits, should Inuyasha need resuscitation you must please let us try it first. We do not want you to waste your sword's gift and it may happen several times that we shall need to do this. Can you trust me to let you know when and if he goes beyond our power?" Jinenji was serious; he knew how a distraught youkai could come close to transforming and there were measures in place to hold a youkai who had reached such limits, but Sesshoumaru was the strongest. He knew what was concerning the hanyou and reassured him that he was well in control.

In the theatre Sesshoumaru got a quick glance at Inuyasha before he was told to sit and take the boy's hand; this would be the only piece of his brother that he would be able to hold to pass on the youki and he started to do so immediately before anything else was done. There were machines all over but the surgeons were calm, as was Sesshoumaru until the time came to remove all of Inuyasha's long black tresses. He couldn't help but gasp and Jinenji assured him that it had to be done. The youkai sagged and then turned his attention inwards as he held Inuyasha's hand and let his youki flow between them.

Sesshoumaru stroked the hand he held from claw tips to wrist and back hoping that Inuyasha would recognise his touch somewhere in his brain and be comforted. He remembered a time when Inuyasha had first come home to the West again and he had watched the shy child follow the other children round. When Rin or Shippou had tried to grab his hand to pull him along faster, he'd cowered down and put his hands in his sleeves. Intrigued Sesshoumaru had approached Inuyasha and also tried to take his hand to no avail; the pup got most distressed and hid his hands away.

It was Hanataba who drew the truth from him. The pup had accidentally scratched his mother when she held his hand and his uncle had beaten him across his fingers so badly because of it, that he had broken them. Then he'd said that no one would ever take his hand, for hanyous were evil with claws that did damage and showed the poor child the small scratch on his mother's hand. Inuyasha had been mortified at the hurt he had inflicted on his beloved Mama and would never touch anyone with his hands again.

And he hadn't, too afraid of his claws and because he believed his uncle. Inuyasha's fingers may have healed by the next day but his young human heart had been devastated. Sesshoumaru had had Rin and Shippou come to them, and had physically pried the pup's hand open to make him take hold of his brother's hand first. He had then held it until Inuyasha relaxed; all the time ignoring the tears that rained down his brother's face, and then he placed Rin's hand in Inuyasha's and wrapped them both in his own.

It had not taken long to teach Inuyasha to be careful of his claws and that if he accidentally nicked anyone it would not mean a beating; he would not be punished for a mishap, unless he was being careless or trying to hurt by using his strength. Sesshoumaru sighed at the memory and carried on stroking his baby brother's hand while infusing his youki through his skin.

The operation was over surprisingly quickly, five of the bullets were removed by the team with little problem, except that they had to resuscitate Inuyasha twice through the procedure. Sesshoumaru did not let go while the boy was brought out of the anaesthetic in the recovery room and he was the first person the violet eyes saw for the brief moment he was conscious. Jinenji came to the lord and said that he was pleased with the operation so far, the strength that the youki had given to Inuyasha was definitely helpful and he thought they would be able to proceed the next day, if Inuyasha had a good night.

He said that ideally, Inuyasha should have a day of strengthening, before the next operation but there was danger of the bullet moving. Sesshoumaru nodded his understanding and thanked Jinenji, who said there was nothing he wouldn't do to help Inuyasha if he could. Sesshoumaru sat there for ten minutes before a new nurse came in; she had in her hands two dark long and thick braids of hair, tied at one end with a bind and the other with dark red ribbon. She presented them to Sesshoumaru saying that one was intended for Kagome; he took them gently and folded one to put in his pocket, the other he held in his free hand until he held it to his eyes and wept for a couple of minutes, partly from relief and partly from knowing that Inuyasha was proud of his hair and that it would take many months to re-grow to it's former glory.

Soon it was time to move Inuyasha to intensive care, where he would have continual nursing and surveillance; besides Sesshoumaru, who would not leave even if he weren't giving the pup his youki. As it was the transference of youki was helping Inuyasha's strength and it was not long before the others could come in and spend a minute or two to visit. Hanataba stayed the longest with her mate and son and stroking the braid; the pair shed tears together as they looked on the shorn human boy who would look very strange in the morning with his puppy ears and no hair.

In fact she stayed until the morning when the danger time of Inuyasha's youki surge as he transformed passed; the heart monitor went crazy for a moment but the doctors were on hand ready for any emergency that might evolve. None did, the hanyou whimpered for a bit but didn't wake, although he was only deeply sleeping and not unconscious. His youki was now rapidly trying to heal the wounds from the bullets and subsequent surgery and Sesshoumaru felt the pull of his own youki increase as Inuyasha used his own up.

Jinenji came in again to talk to Sesshoumaru who was looking pleased at the rate of healing that was obvious. But the doctor had to disillusion him; they could allow it for a while only and then Inuyasha would have to be sedated again, as even the slight activity was moving the bullet. On hearing this Sesshoumaru was unable to keep his stoic mask and Jinenji saw the real person behind the public face; he was distraught.

Kagome though had been thinking; she had been sitting for a few minutes and fingering the black hair braid; still black since it had been removed from Inuyasha and could not change back when cut off from his youki. She called softly to Jinenji the next time he appeared.

"You would rather Inuyasha had the next operation tomorrow and not today, to make him stronger to survive; but he is liable to start to move and agitate the bullet move, yes?"

"Yes, the risk of permanent damage increases the longer the bullet remains but he would ideally be stronger in heart to undergo such a long surgery. As it is his youki is helping him heal and he will rouse and start to move naturally; I would rather not sedate him, it will hinder the healing process but movement is too dangerous, it is a matter of balancing the risks."

"If I can make a barrier around him to subdue his movement but not inhibit his youki would that work?" Kagome asked hopefully and Sesshoumaru instantly saw the possibilities as did Jinenji.

"If you can Kagome, the less mobile he is the better and the longer you can keep a barrier going the better his chances. But we will have to be ready the moment the barrier is down to take him into surgery, so let us know immediately when you know you can't hold it anymore." Jinenji was excited; this was the chance they needed if she could do it. The rest of the family were told what Kagome was going to attempt and that she would need to be undisturbed.

So most of them went home on the understanding they would be called if there was any change. Hanataba however would not leave and waited on her own, sitting in a nearby chair and stroking the hair braid just as her mate had done before her; able to watch what happened. With immense concentration, Kagome set up a barrier and shrank it to fit Inuyasha's body pinning him to the bed with a pink glow that despite its appearance was strong enough to hold the hanyou's youkai strength. Once it was in position she could relax, maintaining the barrier was not quite so tiring as establishing it.

She had left Inuyasha's hand outside so that Sesshoumaru could still give the pup his youki; the lord was easily strong enough to restrain any movement from the hand. The room was still and peaceful; doctors and nurses were able to check the progress and Jinenji confirmed that the barrier was working. This was pleasing but after most of the day concentrating, Kagome started to flag; this time Sesshoumaru had an idea and he pulled the girl onto his lap and infused her too with youki.

This would not stay with her as she had nothing to bind it with as Inuyasha did, even when he was human his youki was dormant inside; but it was refreshing none the less and eased most of her tiredness. In addition she was now able to relax her concentration and ask questions of the doctors when they came in or speak quietly with Hanataba and occasionally Sesshoumaru. All the while, Inuyasha's body was healing of his wounds and his heart was getting stronger.

Jinenji said that at the rate things were going, they would be able to perform the brain surgery later that night; as this was the most crucial and dangerous part of the task to date, it was imperative that it was carried out as soon as Inuyasha was ready enough. Sesshoumaru and Kagome were happy at the news, and smiled at each other; the youkai even gave the girl a kiss on her cheek before turning to smile at his mate who came to them both and put her arms round them. Then she went to sit down again, Kagome was still controlling the barrier and needed to concentrate after all.

Nobody saw the golden glint from eyes that had been shut since he'd been brought to the ward; eyes that had just opened halfway for a couple of seconds to gaze on the sight of Kagome and Sesshoumaru sitting together and smiling at each other, but that didn't notice Hanataba before he closed them again. But Sesshoumaru did notice the pull again on his youki and the agitation from the hanyou trying to struggle against the bind.

Kagome strengthened the barrier and Inuyasha uncharacteristically gave up his fight; tears that Sesshoumaru couldn't smell and could only see trickled from the closed eyes and he felt helpless that he couldn't comfort his pup from whatever had upset or hurt him. Jinenji came back having seen the surge from the monitors and told them it was time; they would be back in one hour to take Inuyasha for surgery, if Kagome could keep the barrier going for that long.

When he came back with the anaesthetist, Kagome let the nurse in to give Inuyasha the pre-med shot to relax him and then they took him down to surgery. Once again Sesshoumaru went in with them and Kagome stayed behind outside with Hanataba who held the girl in her arms, giving and receiving much needed comfort. They were in for a long wait so they went back to the waiting room where there was a small table laid out with fresh sandwiches and a kettle, teabags, coffee or chocolate and a small fridge holding milk and cold drinks. In short everything they could possibly need if they found they could stomach it.

At first Kagome only wanted water from the cooler but as time dragged on, Hanataba made them coffee and insisted that the girl ate at least some of the sandwiches. For Sesshoumaru, holding still firmly to Inuyasha's hand the time was interminable; all he wanted was to see the golden eyes of his pup brother smiling at him once more and to have this horrible time put behind them, so that Sesshoumaru could be free to find the perpetrator of his brother's attack and make him suffer.

Finally it was over; Inuyasha's head was bandaged and as Jinenji said, it was all up to him now. The bullet had come out as cleanly as it went in and thanks to the barrier, Inuyasha's heart was able to keep going without any trouble this time. So there was more hope and Jinenji was far more optimistic than he had been. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the boy to come around from the anaesthetic and letting his youki heal the rest.

Never before had Sesshoumaru needed his patience as he did now; it had always come easy to him in times past, he had always seen the logic in waiting for the correct time, but this was agony. Finally though he heard a slight sigh and he leaned over Inuyasha who opened his heavy eyes groggily as he tried to focus on the face above his;

"Father? Is it really you?" The voice was weak but at least the boy was alive and the mistake about his brother's identity was easily understood; Sesshoumaru had his hair tied back in a high ponytail to make it easier to put it in the surgical hat he'd had to wear. But then recognition came into the gold and Inuyasha pulled away, fear flooding his scent as he whispered in horror;

"Sesshoumaru?"

TBC