Weekend Getaway- 29

Sosuke drove as Ichigo stared out the passenger side window. Grimmjow slouched in the back seat on the driver's side, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. It had started to get dark while they traveled and raindrops began to fall by the time they were halfway there. It made the world slick and shiny under the lights that gradually came on after dusk, almost making their surroundings seem somewhat artificial and plastic. The three of them didn't say much during the trip. The air was heavy with subtle tension but it wasn't so thick that it was suffocating. It was just heavy enough to be mildly uncomfortable.

Sosuke glanced at Grimmjow in the rearview mirror a few times during the drive. There was something wrong between him and Ichigo, he'd seen it when they came face to face right before they left. But he wasn't sure what it was. Judging solely by Grimmjow's appearance, it looked like he was sulking about losing a fight. But if he'd lost to Ichigo, Sosuke was sure the younger man would be rubbing it in. The two of them were alike in many ways and Grimmjow would have done the same in his place. But no. That wasn't it. There was something else going on that was much more painful for both of them. He'd find out what it was. They couldn't afford distractions like that right now.

When they finally pulled into the lot at the hospital, Sosuke turned to Ichigo who had his hand on the handle. "Go ahead inside. We'll be right behind you."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Grimmjow stiffen slightly in the backseat. Ichigo frowned a little and looked between the both of them. But after a moment, he just nodded and got out before heading toward the main entrance. Grimmjow clenched his jaw and reached to open his own door without bothering to wait. Aizen hit the automatic locks and heard him swear.

"What?" Grimmjow snapped irritably.

"What happened today?"

"Nothing." He saw the other man glare and curl his lip, his hand tugging his jacket sleeve down to cover the bruise on his forearm. That was new since this morning but that wasn't what Aizen was talking about. He supposed he could have asked Ichigo but when it came down it, he didn't know him as well as Grimmjow. He could better anticipate the other man's reactions. If he pushed the redhead, it could just end up making things more difficult.

"As long as you can do your job, I don't care what you do with your free time."

There was a harsh snort from the shadows in the backseat. "That's not true and you know it." The bitterness in Grimmjow's voice didn't seem to come from that particular statement. It was something else.

"Then let me rephrase. I don't care what you and Ulquiorra do together in your free time." The smaller man was undoubtedly responsible for his injuries but it was hard to say why. Their relationship was rather odd but they didn't seem to enjoy hurting each other. At least not that Aizen knew.

Grimmjow saw him watching and hunched his shoulders. "I wanted a fight and he gave me one. I've had worse and yes, I can still do my fucking job."

"I'm not worried about that. I was asking about Ichigo."

"What about him?"

The wariness from earlier had returned and confirmed some of Aizen's suspicions. He pinned Grimmjow with a steady gaze in the rearview mirror as he had yet to turn around and look at him directly. The other man just glared back, his eyes glinting in the lights from the parking lot. The sound of their breathing was heavy in the quiet, only the ticking of the cooling engine breaking the increasingly heavy silence.

"I don't have time to deal with more than one petulant child at a time. You'll tell me what happened." It was a simple statement. No threat, no ultimatum. Both men knew he meant it and that he'd get what he wanted. It was just a matter of how much trouble it would be to get the answer to his question. Grimmjow narrowed his eyes and watched him silently for a moment before slumping in his seat and sighing.

"Don't go getting all protective on me. I barely touched him. Not a damned scratch. Kid could be better than me if he wasn't so fixated on being fair." He blinked suddenly, seemingly surprised by his own admission. But that wasn't what Aizen had meant either.

"A sparring match with you wouldn't drive him out into the woods for three hours even if he lost. What did you say to him?" The silence suddenly became quieter if that was even possible. Grimmjow's expression became slightly pained.

"I didn't know, okay? I never would have brought it up like that otherwise."

"You'll have to be more specific," Aizen said, his voice low as he tried to regain his slipping composure.

"I just wanted him to know enough not to shoot himself by accident," Grimmjow replied, sounding slightly defensive. He hissed a breath out between his teeth. "Shit, I thought he was gonna to fucking cry."

A few things clicked into place and Aizen had to work to find his calm again. "You took him down to the range."

"Che. You're the one who told us not to use the backyard."

"Initiative is usually prized in an employee and I've often wished you would look into it more often." Aizen's hands tightened on the wheel before he forced his fingers to relax. "But sometimes you go and do something on your own that makes me rethink that."

"I fucked up, alright? I told you I didn't know. I still don't for that matter. But there's only one thing that would put that kind of look on someone's face."

Aizen sighed quietly. "I know. I've seen it on yours often enough."

"We're not talking about me," Grimmjow snapped. After a few moments, he took a deep breath and let it out in an irritable huff. "If I could take it back, I would." He lifted his eyes to meet Aizen's gaze again. "But he still needs to learn. You can't honestly tell me you want him to stay scared of guns forever. He can handle it."

If he didn't have a complete breakdown first. But Aizen didn't think that would happen. "Yes he can. And I agree with you. The thought itself was not a bad one and I have considered it myself. But I believe it requires a little more delicacy than you've shown so far. I've been looking for the right approach."

"Well, now that he's been mildly traumatized, what more damage could I do? He seems to have forgiven me already anyway."

Aizen stared out the windshield for a moment before replying. He didn't necessarily want to give Grimmjow more emotional weapons to hurt himself with. He seemed to be brooding deeply enough on his own. But Aizen didn't want a repeat of this afternoon all over again. "Just don't ever mention his mother if you can avoid it."

Grimmjow seemed to shrink in on himself a little bit. "Shit." It was several moments before he spoke again. "How old was he?"

"Does it matter? You won't be doing yourself any favors by making me tell you."

"Like I could make you do anything," Grimmjow muttered. He shifted in his seat and stared at Aizen, his gaze unblinking. "How old?" He sounded insistent and Aizen knew that tone. He'd persist until he got what he was looking for. It wasn't necessarily what he wanted. Just something that he needed to know for himself.

"Nine."

It was several more moments before Grimmjow spoke again as his gaze shifted around the dark car. His voice was quiet. "I was worried that our past would rub off on him. That it would dirty up the squeaky clean aura he's got shining all around him." He glared at Aizen when his brow twitched a little in surprise. "Don't give me that look. I still don't buy into all that new age crap you've been going on about for years. Doesn't mean that I don't see it." He trailed off irritably as he plucked at a loose thread on his jeans. "It's just. . .I was trying to be careful and it turns out he's already been maimed. I'm not sure what to do about that now."

No matter how much Aizen learned about some of his employees, they still managed to surprise him on occasion. And no matter what faults he might have, Grimmjow was worth every penny and shred of effort it took to keep him. Aizen was startled out of his thoughts by the jiggling of the handle on the back door.

Grimmjow gave him a flat look telling him that the emotional moment was over. "Well? Are we going in there or what?" It didn't seem to matter that they hadn't settled on anything. He yanked on the handle again to emphasize his point.

Aizen wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting silently just now but judging by Grimmjow's growing irritation, it had been longer than was comfortable. He hit the master lock, letting the other man get out of the car and pace a few steps away before getting out himself. The night was far from over and somehow he knew it was a while yet before it got any better.

. . . . . . .

Ichigo went in through the main doors and headed straight for the elevators. Jinta had given him Ukitake's room number so he wouldn't have to ask but he wasn't sure he'd be able to get in to see him. Shoving his hands in the empty pockets of his sweatshirt, he wished he'd stopped to pick up something to bribe the duty nurses with. Most of them responded well to chocolate. For that matter, he should have brought something for Ukitake. He'd been so stressed out on the way over that he hadn't even thought about it.

But it turned out he didn't have to worry about slipping past anyone. His dad was leaning against the counter at the nurse's station studying a chart and the girl behind the desk just smiled and waved. That's right. Today was the day his dad did rounds. When the clinic wasn't busy, he put in time at the local hospital which was almost always understaffed. He looked up as Ichigo got closer and gave him a soft smile. No matter how ridiculous he got at home, he was usually reserved and professional when he had the white coat on.

"Hey, Dad." Ichigo was almost afraid to ask how bad it was as he came to stand next to him. But he had to. "Is this. . ." His father reached out and squeezed his shoulder.

"It looked worse than it really was. More of a false alarm than anything else. He's alright." The words 'for now' hung in the air unspoken but neither of them acknowledged them. Ichigo just nodded as he felt some of the tightness in his chest ease. Ukitake wasn't in perfect health but today wouldn't be the day he'd have to say goodbye. Some of the things that had been bothering him lately suddenly seemed petty and stupid. Like he was being selfish as he struggled to deal with his own worries that were mostly in his head.

Ichigo was startled and nearly flinched when his dad gripped his chin and tilted his face up to the light. Shit, he'd forgotten about the bruises. They hadn't completely faded yet. He was old enough that he wasn't going to get scolded for getting into a fight but he hadn't been entirely truthful when he'd told him what happened. Isshin studied him with a critical eye for a moment before releasing him and going back to the chart.

"He's awake if you'd like to see him," he said, nodding to a door on his right. Then he fixed Ichigo with a serious look. "Come home for dinner this weekend. The girls miss you."

"Sure." Like he'd ever say no. But he knew the invitation was a thin attempt to hide the fact that his father was worried about him. It was irritating and reassuring at the same time.

"I'll see you in a couple days then."

When Ichigo nodded Isshin set down his clipboard and headed down the hall in the other direction. He probably wasn't even on the clock at the moment. His shift would have been over long before now. He'd most likely been waiting for Ichigo to show up.

Ichigo sighed and headed over to the indicated door, completely forgetting that he hadn't come by himself. None his recent issues really mattered as he pushed the door open and saw Ukitake lying on the bed, his pale hair feathered out on the pillow. It shouldn't be such a familiar sight and he had a moment where he wondered why this should happen to such a good person. Ukitake didn't deserve this.

It was a single room and it was actually kind of nice if you ignored why it was occupied at the moment. Kyoraku was slouching in one of the visitor seats, his wide straw hat tilted down over his eyes. A faint rumble filled the room as he snored and Ichigo's lips twitched in a small smirk.

Ukitake turned to look at him and smiled. "There's our wayward Ichi-kun."

Ichigo wouldn't tolerate the nickname from anyone else. Only from his adopted uncles who almost seemed incapable of calling him anything else. "It's no wonder you're awake," he said, nodding toward Kyoraku.

Ukitake looked at his longtime friend and frowned slightly. "He's very tired. I'm a little worried about him actually. He hasn't even tried to flirt with the nurses at all."

Ichigo sighed. Only Ukitake would worry about others while he was the one lying in a hospital bed. "Has he eaten anything lately?" Without Jushiro and Nanao keeping an eye on him, Kyoraku tended to forget.

"Have you?" Ukitake countered.

Ichigo felt a faint pang in his middle that had nothing to do with emotion and realized it had been a while since he'd eaten. Not that he'd say so.

The pail haired man grinned. "I can ask the nurse for a snack and you can have my Jell-o."

Smothering a surprised laugh, Ichigo pulled over the other chair. "I'm fine, thanks. But you go ahead. I wouldn't want to deprive you of your green lime goodness." He blinked when he realized the other man had a serious expression on his face and was staring at him intently. Ichigo tried not fidget under his gaze even though it was obvious he was inspecting his fading injuries just like his dad had.

"It appears that you've been having adventures lately." He wasn't exactly asking what had happened. Ukitake was rarely that direct, especially when he knew it was a complicated answer. But it never really stopped him from finding out what he wanted to know.

"Yeah. Sort of." Dodging the question entirely, Ichigo leaned back in the chair. "How are you feeling? And don't give me an 'I'm fine.' I'd really like to know."

Ukitake sighed and then coughed a little. The sheepish look he shot Ichigo out of the corner of his eye was enough to tell the redhead he was about to brush it off like he usually did. Concentrating on his breathing for a moment, he got it under control and absently smoothed the folded blankets at his middle. "It's no worse than it has been. There's another treatment they'd like to try." He frowned. "And they keep telling me to give up my books."

Ichigo knew that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Ukitake was a bibliophile in every sense of the word. Hardcover, paperback and even scrolls, the man had gathered an impressive collection over his lifetime. And that was after he'd inherited the tomes his father left him. The bookstore was his way of sharing books with others. His personal collection was in his house, filling every available shelf and surface. But he put everything else in the store where people could borrow or buy. There was a steady clientele that kept the place running. Not that he needed the income. His family was very well off and it was more of a hobby than anything else. But where there were books, there was an incredible amount of paper dust which did nothing good for his ailing lungs. The store was littered with air filters and purifiers that kept the worst of it at bay. But books were dusty by nature so it was a stalemate at best.

"You don't want to give up what you love,"

Ichigo said.

"No, I don't. What's the point if you can't surround yourself with what makes you happy?" Ukitake turned unhappy eyes on Ichigo. "I don't want to give that up no matter how much they tell me I should."

"Don't worry. Nobody's going to try and pry your books out of your hands. I won't let them."

"My brave protector." Ukitake sounded amused. "I remember when you could barely fend off Kisuke's cat."

"Yeah, when I was four. And that thing had claws like this." Ichigo held his hands wide. "Even Urahara cringes whenever she goes tearing through the house." They both smiled at the shared memories of the other man's untamed beast that pretended to be a house cat. After a few warm moments, Ukitake reached his hand out. Ichigo leaned forward on the edge of the bed and took it in his own.

"I know you've had a lot on your mind lately but could you keep the store open for a couple of days? Tamaya-san's manuscript came in and he should be by to pick it up soon." Not only did Ukitake share his own collection, he also helped others track down rare books.

"Of course." That went without saying and they both knew that he didn't really have to ask.

Ukitake squeezed his hand. "I'll be in here for a couple more days at least." He didn't sound the least bit thrilled.

Ichigo didn't really blame him. Even though his dad was a doctor and he'd grown up right next to the clinic, he hated hospitals. There were a lot of people that had expected him to follow in Isshin's footsteps and become a doctor himself. But it wasn't something he could do. Not for lack of ability or even desire really. He'd always gotten good grades and he admired his dad a lot. But Ichigo had an incredibly hard time reaching that level of detachment that kept a person sane. All doctors should care. Good healers couldn't do otherwise. But Ichigo couldn't help but feel everything all the time and it was always too overwhelming for him to deal with. Being in contact with the sick and injured on a regular basis would eventually make him crumble and he knew it.

They both looked toward the door when it opened again. Sosuke paused in the entrance and watched them both with a calm expression on his face. "Am I interrupting?"

"Um," Ichigo looked to Ukitake. It was his room after all.

After looking between the redhead and the new arrival, Ukitake shook his head a little. "Of course not. It's good to see you Sosuke."

"And you, Jushiro. I hope you're feeling well."

Ichigo suddenly felt like an intruder on a conversation that wasn't actually being spoken out loud. The subtext was practically branded in the air like subtitles in a foreign film. On the other side of the bed, he saw how still Kyoraku had gotten and knew that he was awake and listening.

"Well enough." Ukitake's gaze lingered on Ichigo for a moment before turning back to Sosuke. "I assume you and Ichigo have already met."

Ichigo felt like he'd been keeping secrets for some reason even though he'd never actively tried to hide his relationship with Sosuke. But he hadn't exactly gone around telling everyone either. Clearing his throat uncomfortably, he tried not to wince. "Actually, he drove me over here."

"I see." So few words, so many meanings. Ukitake surprised him by squeezing his hand again. "Such interesting adventures you've been having." But he was smiling a little as he said it. He didn't appear to disapprove but then he never would. Even if Ichigo's choice had been terrible, Ukitake would merely try to help guide him. But ultimately, he'd let him make his own decisions.

"I just hope they're safe ones." Kyoraku had tilted his hat up and was watching them all. But his eye were mostly focused on Sosuke. "We're quite fond of him."

Sosuke regarded the other man thoughtfully before shifting his weight to one foot. He wasn't nervous. Ichigo knew that. And he wasn't exactly trying to feign innocence either. It was just a casual gesture that would seem nonexistent to some. "So am I," he said simply. The solemn tone added a heavy certainty to the words and Ichigo almost found himself blushing for some reason.

Kyoraku studied Sosuke a moment before nodding slightly. He let the brim of the hat slip back down and clasped his hands over his stomach. It didn't take long for his quiet snores to fill the air again and Ichigo shook his head. The man could literally fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Ukitake looked over at his slumbering companion, his expression slightly bemused. Turning back to Sosuke, he shrugged before speaking again.

"I've got something at the shop that might interest you. Ichigo can show you. It's in my office," he said as he looked at the redhead. "You'll know it when you see it."

"I'll stop by sometime this week. If that's alright with you, Ichigo."

Ichigo looked up at Sosuke and blinked. Why wouldn't it be okay? Was he really asking permission? No. Well, maybe. Aside from when he'd come to pick him up at the apartment, this was the first direct involvement Sosuke had had in his life. And now it sounded like he was making sure it was okay with him before he intruded any further. It hardly seemed fair with the way Ichigo had inadvertently barged into his world and stubbornly stayed there.

"It's. . yeah. Okay. That's fine." He huffed a breath, suddenly flustered.

Ukitake chuckled and released his hand to ruffle his hair. "You should go home and get some sleep. It's getting late."

And he was tired. Ichigo felt some of the heaviness from earlier return. It wasn't the sadness and pain, just the fatigue that came with it. "Yeah, I probably should."

"Please don't worry too much. I'll be fine."

Ichigo mustered a small smile. "I know. I'll come again tomorrow." Before the other man could open his mouth to argue, he smiled wider. "You promised me Jell-o, remember?"

"I suppose I did," Ukitake said, returning the smile. "Tomorrow then."

Ichigo headed toward the door and out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Sosuke give Ukitake a small bow. And if he didn't know better, he'd say it was returned. Weird. It was very formal and the only other people he'd seen do that were Byakuya and his elitist business partners. But he didn't feel it was his place to comment or ask about it. If either of them wanted to tell him, they would.

Out in the waiting room Grimmjow stood from where he'd been lounging on one of the couches. He looked more than ready to leave, his posture uncomfortable. It seemed he hated hospitals as much as Ichigo did. None of them spoke as they headed down in the elevator. The heavy closeness from the car settled again and left them all feeling tired. Ichigo just hoped he'd be able to sleep tonight. With this much going on, he doubted he'd be able to.