Chapter 8: Palpitations

Suga was the first one to arrive, but Daichi got there mere seconds later. Both of them had dropped absolutely everything to get to Tanaka's house as fast as possible. The second-years knew the situation was bad, but they probably didn't know just how much danger Emi faced. They didn't know how sick — how vulnerable — she really was. But there was no use in telling them until they got to the scene to assess the situation themselves.

"Nishinoya," Suga gushed the second he stepped foot in the door. "Where is she?"

"How's she doing?" Daichi demanded.

To their surprise, both Tanaka and Nishinoya greeted them at the door, which meant Emi was somewhere alone. The second-years were fast to reassure them — or fast to try to reassure them.

"It's okay," Tanaka said. "She's safe."

"We've been taking care of her, just like you said," Nishinoya added.

In the following brief moment of silence, the third-years heard something — the hiss of pipes moving, and the stream of…running water. They looked at each other and frowned.

"Nishinoya," Suga said. "I thought you said Tanaka's family was out of town?"

"They are," Tanaka piped up. "That's one of the reasons we called you."

"Yeah. I mean…" Noya scratched the back of his head. "We're great and all, but we figured Emi could use a little extra help."

"Hold up," Suga said. "You left her alone in the bathroom?"

"Uh, yeah." Tanaka looked confused that he would even have to ask. "She's taking a shower."

"We're not actually perverts, you know," Nishinoya grumbled.

Suga and Daichi shared another look, this one much quicker, as realization dawned on their features. It was a realization one moment too late, as — from the bathroom — all four boys heard a sudden, gut-wrenching THUMP.

"Daichi!" Suga said.

"On it!" Daichi responded, already running toward the bathroom.

The second-years instantly tensed up, panicked before they even understood what was going on.

"Daichi?" Tanaka asked. "Suga?"

"What the hell's happening!" Nishinoya demanded.

There was not time to answer them. Suga raced after Daichi, pushing past the others, and barged into the now-open bathroom. To his surprise, Daichi was just standing there, frozen solid. Why wasn't he moving? Hadn't Emi just fainted? She might've hit her head! She could be bleeding! She—

But then Suga saw what had Daichi so stumped. On the bathroom tiles lay a stark naked Emi, trembling like a leaf, bones protruding from every exposed part of her body. She only seemed half-conscious, her face flushed with fever, even giving off random spasms. But…Emi. Naked. Girl. Body. It took a good couple seconds for even these steadfast, respectful third-years to register what they were seeing.

Only when Tanaka and Nishinoya burst in behind them, also seeing Emi's naked figure on the tiles, was Daichi prompted to action.

"O-oh my God!" Nishinoya blurted.

"Crap!" Tanaka slapped a hand over his eyes.

Nishinoya quickly followed suit, the both of them blushing wildly. "We-we're so sorry, Emi, we didn't mean to—"

"We would never dare disrespect you, I promise!" Tanaka cried.

Meanwhile, Daichi had dropped to the floor next to Emi and begun gathering her in his arms, carefully collecting her frail, shivering body. He pulled her hair back, trying to get a feel of her forehead. God, she was really burning up. No wonder she'd passed out. These second-years were perfectly well-meaning, but they didn't know the first thing about caregiving. She should never have been allowed on her feet.

Emi groaned. Daichi propped her up against his chest, holding her between his legs and trying to cover up her most sensitive body parts the best he could. Her head rolled around, falling against his shoulder.

"What's…" Emi gave a little cough. "What's going on?"

It was Suga's turn to be reactivated. "Blanket," he spluttered, finally. "I'll get you a blanket." He stumbled out of the bathroom, pushing past the second years (who had refused to uncover their eyes).

"You're okay," Daichi told her. "You just fainted."

"Oh…" she scowled, clearly struggling to keep her eyes open. "I'm…sorry."

"Don't you say that, Emi!" Tanaka blurted. In his frenzy, he'd dropped his hand, only to see Emi's naked body again, only partially-covered by Daichi's arms. Tanaka yelped, and frantically covered his eyes right up again.

"I-I mean," he continued, "it's not your fault you're sick."

"He's right!" Nishinoya agreed, his eyes still securely covered. "We should've known better than to leave you alone."

This was the moment Suga returned with one of the sheets off Tanaka's bed, quickly draping it over Emi's exposed form. Daichi gave him a look of thanks and Suga nodded, though the both of them were still blushing. In fact, if Daichi wasn't so worried about Emi's health in this moment, he'd probably have a lot more trouble holding her naked body in his arms like this.

"Alright," Daichi said, finally finding his authoritative captain voice. "Now you're nice and covered up, let's get you back to bed."

He had already begun to lift her, pulling Emi's body off the tiles like it was nothing, when she audibly hissed through her teeth. Instantly, Daichi stopped. Tentatively, Nishinoya and Tanaka opened their eyes, relieved to see Emi's body was now hidden under a sheet.

Suga crouched down in front of Emi and Daichi, finally resuming his normal mama bear behaviour. "What's wrong, Emi? Does something hurt?"

Emi hissed again, her jaw clenching. "My…chest."

Chest pain? Tanaka and Nishinoya paled, looking to Daichi and Suga for reassurance. But Daichi and Suga were busy looking at each other, unable to hide their own concern. They'd both be lying if they said they hadn't done their own research into complications of anorexia, and chest pain? That was a dangerous one.

"Okay, Emi," Daichi kept his voice low and level. "Describe the pain."

"W-we have medicine!" Tanaka piped up, desperate to help. "Saeko keeps a bunch of painkillers in her room for when she gets hungover — I can get you some?"

"Shh!" Nishinoya nudged him. "Let her talk!"

"It's okay," Emi told them, but the words were a lot less convincing through gritted teeth. "It's just…palpitations. They'll pass."

The second-years looked at each other, both confused, as if the other would have the answer. Thankfully, the third-years knew what she was talking about.

"Does this happen a lot?" Suga asked.

Emi nodded. "Especially when I'm overexerted. Or sick."

Check and check. No wonder her heart was giving her so much trouble — for an already-weakened body, the strain of taking a punch to the face, running from home, and developing a fever was too much for her.

Even knowing the source of the problem, and hearing it wasn't the first time it had happened, palpitations were significant cause for concern in Daichi's book. Sure they could be mild and harmless, but if they persisted, especially at this level of pain, he wouldn't hesitate to take serious action.

Before Daichi could continue strategising, another hiss and shudder from Emi interrupted him. Instinctively, his hold around her tightened, trying to comfort her through the pain. Also on instinct, Suga inched forward, trying earnestly to get Emi to look at him. She took sharp, short breaths, her eyes squeezing closed.

"It's gonna be okay," Daichi assured her. "Lean against me."

"He's right," Suga said. "This one will pass, just like the last."

"Uh…" Still clearly uncertain of himself, Tanaka stepped forward. "I can't say I know what palpitations are, but for chest pain, I'm pretty sure you gotta sit the person up straight. You know, open up their lungs and stuff."

Nishinoya gasped. "Oh yeah, we just covered that in health science."

Daichi nodded, and followed their advice, carefully pulling Emi's body up higher so she was pressed upright against his chest. The movement, even if it was to open her lungs and help her in the long run, made Emi grunt at the sharp pain. Her instincts told her to curl into a ball and make her body as small as possible until the palpitations were over, but the guys were right. She needed room to breathe properly.

"Easy," Suga warned, but his voice was soft. "Just breathe."

Seeing her hands clenched into fists over her sternum, Daichi wrapped tighter around Emi to take her hands in his own. "Don't strain yourself," he said. "When it hurts, just squeeze me."

As much as she didn't want the others to see it, Emi couldn't conceal the worsening pain, which just got sharper and longer after each brief interval. Just as instructed, she squeezed Daichi's hands, and then buried her head in the crook of his neck to hide an agonised expression.

"God…" she groaned. With the palpitations started to come also random muscle cramps and aches — partially fever, partially stress, partially just her weakened body unable to take the pressure.

The agony in her voice was unmistakable, making all the guys' hearts ache, too. Tanaka and Nishinoya itched the reach forward and help somehow, but, seeing the third-years in action, they knew to leave it in their hands.

Suga rubbed Emi's leg, gently up and down, on top of the blanket. "It's okay, Emi. We're all here for you."

Daichi let her squeeze his hands as much as she needed, and rested his chin on the top of her head to whisper soothing comforts. "You got this. You're doing good, just breathe through it."

The second-years murmured amongst each other, still desperate to help, but not wanting to intrude.

"Shouldn't we be taking her back to bed?" Nishinoya asked.

"I don't know," Tanaka said. "Looks like it hurts her to move."

"She's hurting anyway," Nishinoya argued. His eyes watered. "I can't stand this. Maybe we should call an ambulance."

"No." Emi's stern response, having overheard them, surprised everyone. Even quivering, and between ground teeth, her expression was tough. "They're…just…palpitations. They'll stop."

"And we'll be here with you until they do," Daichi reassured her. "But you should know, if they keep going on like this without letting up, we really are gonna need to get you medical attention."

Emi's eyes watered, the pain breaking down all of her emotional defences. "You don't understand," she ground out. "If my…if my dad finds out I'm….back….hospital, I'll….he'll —" She couldn't go on, squeezing Daichi's hands and whimpering as another set of cramps and palpitations hit her hard.

Talk about Emi's dad reminded everyone in the room about the bruise still forming on her face. Especially at those words, and Emi's fear, it was a pretty safe bet where she'd gotten it. Daichi had to restrain himself from holding onto Emi too tight, as rage boiled inside of him. Suga's expression turned dark and uncharacteristically menacing. As for Nishinoya and Tanaka, they practically quivered with fury, ready to rip apart any man who dared hurt their team manager. Even her own father.

"Listen to me," Daichi said finally, once he was sure he could keep his voice level. "You have nothing to worry about. We're gonna protect you."

"For now," Suga said, "let's just wait out these palpitations so we can get you back to bed. Sound good?"

Even though she was still on the brink of tears, Emi nodded. Scared as she was, she knew she could trust her team. She didn't get a chance to voice this trust, however, before another palpitation and series of cramps came hurtling at her. She tensed up, giving a short cry.

"Okay, okay," Daichi said, letting her squeeze as hard as she needed to. "That's it, you're okay."

Tanaka and Nishinoya tensed up too, in pain at her pain. "Emi," they whimpered.

"I'm—sorry," Emi grunted. "I shouldn't be—shit."

"Shh," Suga murmured. "Don't be sorry. Just ride it out."

Daichi nodded, even kissing the top of Emi's head. "We're not going anywhere."

True to their word, the second and third-years stayed right there with Emi until — thankfully, finally — the palpitations begun to subside. The strain on her body still left random muscle cramps and aches, but those were easy to deal with in comparison. Emi took a deep breath, able to feel the air enter her lungs for the first time in a while. She sunk against Daichi's chest, deflating with exhaustion.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Shh." Finally letting go of one of her hands, Daichi stroked Emi's hair back. He noticed she was sweating, still hot with fever. "You did all the hard work. Now rest."

As her eyelids fluttered closed, Daichi and Suga shared a relieved look. Thank God, the palpitations stopped. No ambulance required after all.

"She's still feverish," Daichi announced. "Tanaka, I'm going to need a cold damp towel. Noya, fill up a water bottle. She's probably dehydrated."

"Yes, sir," both second-years chanted their eager response.

But then, just as they turned to leave, Nishinoya looked back. "Don't you think, maybe, we should get her something to eat as well?"

Thankfully, Emi was too out of it to really hear what he'd said. The thought of food only would've stressed her out more than she could handle right now. Daichi and Suga looked at each other and sighed.

"Yeah," Suga said at last. "Grab her something plain. For when she wakes up."

Nishinoya nodded and took off after Tanaka. The second-years weren't total idiots; it was clear Emi had been sick long before the fever kicked in. She probably hadn't been eating right for a while now. It didn't take much more than that to put the pieces together — Emi was starving herself, for one reason or another. It didn't take a genius to realize she wouldn't be too happy about being force fed at Tanaka's place, even on her sick bed. Still, they had to try something.

While the second-years went off to complete their tasks, the third-years helped Emi to bed. Suga helped Daichi wrap the sheet around Emi's whole body, keeping her fully covered, so Daichi could carry her into Tanaka's room. He rested her down on the mattress, where she fell asleep almost instantly.

"Think we should try to get her dressed?" Suga asked.

Daichi considered. "Honestly, with her fever, this might be the best thing for now."

Suga nodded. "I know it couldn't be helped, but I still feel guilty. For…seeing her like that."

Daichi sighed. "Yeah. Feeling's mutual."

Once she was securely tucked in, a full water bottle and piece of bread on the nightstand, the guys finally gave her some privacy, closing the bedroom door so they could talk in the living room. Nishinoya was the only person who refused to sit down, anxiously pacing back and force, while the others sunk to the sofa or the floor. It was solemn expressions all around. This conversation was not going to be an easy one.

"I'm just gonna say it," Nishinoya snapped. "You guys knew, didn't you? You knew she was sick?"

Daichi and Suga shared a look. They sighed.

"Yes," Suga said. "We found out a little after the concussion."

"You've known for that long?" Tanaka demanded. "Why the hell didn't you tell us? This is serious stuff!"

"He's right!" Nishinoya said. "We have a right to know!"

"No." Daichi's face was hard. "You do not. Emi's personal life is hardly our business, let alone yours."

"You don't get it, do you!" Nishinoya said. "We've been treating her like normal — asking for her help studying, begging her to train with us, practically drooling all over her like we do."

Tanaka blushed. "Well, I dunno about that last part."

Ignoring him, Nishinoya continued, "This whole time we've been putting extra pressure because we didn't know. Do you have any idea how crappy that makes me feel?"

"Calm down, Nishinoya," Suga said. "You'll wake her up."

Still fired up, but conscious enough to lower his voice, Nishinoya went on. "If something had happened to her because of the things we said, or the things we asked her to do, I'd never have forgiven myself."

Tanaka's eyes watered. "Noya…"

"As things are, if we hadn't called you guys over tonight, who knows what would've happened? Emi might still be in the bathroom, naked on the floor, with chest pain so bad she couldn't breathe right."

Hearing his voice crack, the third-years finally realized what Nishinoya was saying. Maybe Emi's personal life wasn't any of their business, and maybe none of them had a right to know anything, but the consequences of leaving them in the dark were far greater. And Nishinoya was right — it had almost been too late for them to come to this conclusion.

"She is stick thin," Nishinoya cried. "Stick. Thin. So thin that when I saw her on that street I thought for sure she was dying." Tears dribbled down his face. "Is she dying?"

"Noya," Daichi said, "hey. Listen to me. It's gonna be okay."

Tanaka cleared his throat, also on the verge of tears. "I don't wanna make things worse, you know, but…those cuts, too. When Hinata first said something about her scars, I let it go, but turns out he was right." His bottom lip trembled. "Is it true? Is she…hurting herself?"

"Everyone, calm down," Suga said, as gently as he could. The second-years had every right to be scared and concerned right now, but they couldn't let those feelings consume them. "I know the situation is serious. But we've been looking out for her. Daichi, Asahi and me. Coach Ukai also has his eye on her. I'm not saying we're the safest of hands, but you should know she's not alone."

"You're missing a couple names there." Nishinoya had composed himself enough to give the third-years a fiery look. "It's not just you guys looking out for her anymore. It's me, and Tanaka, too."

Tanaka nodded. "Damn straight."

Daichi smiled. "Thanks, guys. For the time being, I think it'd be best if we can figure out what to do now. It sounds like Emi's home isn't much of an option right now, so…Tanaka, how long until your folks get back?"

Tanaka considered. "Uh…Friday. Three days."

"Do you think Emi could stay here until then? It'll give us some time to find the best course of action."

"O-of course." Tanaka blushed. "As long as she doesn't mind."

"Yeah!" Nishinoya grinned. "Me and Tanaka will take a few days off school to stay with her and keep her safe!"

Suga frowned. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"He's right," Daichi said. "As long as we can get her fever down by the morning, I think it'd be better for you guys to come to school like normal. Emi should be safe here alone during the day, right?"

Clearly unhappy, but reluctant to argue with his captain, Tanaka grumbled, "Right."

"Don't worry," Suga swept in. "At least one of the third years will come by every morning before training and every night. We all want to help out."

Nishinoya folded his arms, not entirely placated yet. "There's still one more problem we've gotta talk about though, isn't there?"

The room went quiet for a moment. Everyone knew exactly the problem he was referring to. Emi's bruised face, and whatever she was running away from at home.

"So what do we do?" Nishinoya demanded. "Call the cops?"

"I think it's a little soon to make that decision," Daichi said. "We'll have to talk to her first. Get a grasp on what exactly is going on."

Again, what he said made sense, but the second-years weren't happy yet. All they knew was that someone had hurt their precious Emi and that it had probably been her dad. They wouldn't be able to relax until he got what he deserved. Still, there was no room to argue. At least not for now.

"Alright," Daichi said. "Here's what we're gonna do tonight. Me and Suga will go home and grab our stuff, then we'll come back to stay the night here and keep an eye on Emi's fever."

"I've had a little practice getting her to eat, too," Suga added, "so I'll try to take care of that."

Daichi nodded. "Tomorrow, we'll all go to training together. We're not gonna tell anyone about this yet, not until we understand the situation better. Got it?"

"Got it," the second-years said in chorus.

"Good." He stood up, joined by Suga. "We'll be back soon. If anything changes in Emi's condition, call us immediately. Otherwise, just keep an eye on her." He smiled, however wearily. "She's in good hands."