Uta's Point of View
It was a long, tense ride in the dark. Heavy silence the entire way, only broken by sighs and the occasional unanswered mutter to Taya to please hang in there. Taya was breathing heavily. I felt such weight in my heart.
Even Ruko drove the car extra smoothly and with utmost care this time, yet she couldn't help but drive quickly and with urgency.
On the way there, we got to the scene of a traffic accident. The road was backed up and we had to take a detour. We all ended up cursing a bit at varying volumes. Except Taya, because he was much too faint, and I'm pretty sure he had never uttered a foul word in his lifetime.
Oh, why did these things always have to happen at the absolute worst times?
Taya, please hold on! I promise, we will make it...
We arrived to the emergency room by the time night had fallen. It was unexpectedly crowded in the parking lot.
"Uta, how is Taya?" Ruko asked me when we found a decent parking spot.
I began to feel his pulse. Taya began using the last of his energy to start speaking.
"I... need... a wheelchair... or a stretcher... please..." He uttered. These were seemingly his last words before he slipped into unconsciousness again, for the second time this day.
"Oh no!" I gasped, feeling panicked.
"Try to keep your composure." Ritsu said. "We're at the hospital now. He's gonna be okay."
"Okay..." I breathed out.
The rain had lightened up a bit, but it was windy and chilly outside, not to mention, wet, dark, and gloomy.
Ruko was walking towards a nurse and told her about the situation. The nurse brought a stretcher to the car and we lifted Taya up onto it. He was wheeled into the hospital as we followed.
After about fifteen minutes of questions and waiting (which honestly felt too long,) we were following Taya who was being wheeled into a cold room with multiple beds and some IV equipment. This was the room where he was going to get his blood transfusion.
I didn't know Taya's blood type, and at first I freaked out since I had never thought of asking him that during the months I had known him. If only we somehow reached that topic of conversation, I thought! But it turned out there was a solution to that. He was going to receive a transfusion of type O negative red blood cells, the "universal donor" type that anyone could receive. I felt so relieved knowing there was a solution...
"Hm... there appears to be a problem." I heard a nurse mutter. "It appears we currently have a shortage of O negative..."
What!?
They came back to us to tell us the bad news.
"Are you certain that you cannot tell us his blood type?" We were asked.
But then I remembered... my own blood type is O negative.
I spoke up.
"I... I'm type O negative." I said. "If it's possible, then... I'd like to donate my blood to him..."
There was a bit of silence in the room.
"Given his condition, he's going to need a lot more than you can safely give." A doctor said to me. "He's going to need around three pints worth of blood. Luckily, we have one pint left in our storage. But we're going to need to draw two pints of blood from you. Okay?"
I looked at Ruko and Ritsu.
"I'm sorry, my blood type is AB positive." Ruko said.
"I'm A negative. Sorry." Ritsu said.
They both looked rather downcast. Everything had to be put on me. Still, at this point, I didn't really care... I just wanted to help Taya.
I nodded at the doctor.
"Yes. I want to go through with the blood donation." I said.
—
I do admit I was a little bit squeamish when they stuck the needle in my arm and drew the blood from me. The solid red liquid was all draining from me, as if you pulled the plug from the bathtub and the water slowly went down. It was such an amount as well. I didn't want to look after a while to see how much had accumulated.
It was all going to be inside Taya soon... It was going to save him... his life, potentially...
I wasn't feeling woozy yet, but they warned me I would feel it soon. I would need to drink a lot of water, and the hospital staff was going to prepare me a vitamin-rich meal. Then, I was going to take it a bit easy and rest the following day.
Finally, the blood transfusion bag was prepared. Finally. The needle was set in Taya's forearm where it would bend, and the content of my blood, combined with the last pint of O negative blood the hospital had available, was finally being transfused into his body.
Shortly afterwards, Momo and Teto ended up bursting into the room.
Upon seeing the sight of Taya, lying motionless on the platform, Momo burst into tears and began crying in Teto's arms.
"It's okay now, Momo." I said, feeling very drained at this point. "He's getting his blood transfusion now."
"What a relief." Momo and Teto said.
"Did you come here as well because you were so worried too?" Ruko asked.
"Yeah..." Momo said. "Sorry if I'm inconveniencing anybody."
"No, not at all." Ruko said. "It'll be a lot better if you guys are here too."
—
We all stayed by Taya's side through the night. After an hour and a half, he regained consciousness. His blood transfusion would have to be four hours long however, and he would need to stay lying there on the platform until it was over. We promised to be there by his side keeping him company until it was over.
"With us all gathered here, it's almost kind of... fun, isn't it?" Teto said.
I had to smile. Teto was the kind of person who gave even the gloomiest situations a bit of color. She was always looking at the glass half-full.
"You know, I would like hospitals a lot better if they were colorful and had lots of fun things to do! I think that's how they should be! That way, sick people wouldn't have to be so sad and uncomfortable." Teto said.
"I agree!" Momo said. "That's why, I had this dream of being a nurse before. So I could brighten the hospital and give comfort to sick and injured people."
"Ah, that's nice." Taya said. He was still weak and woozy, but he cracked a smile. "Thank you for being here and having a nice conversation with me."
"That's what friends are for!" Ruko said.
"You guys really are some amazing friends." Taya said, smiling.
"Uta, you should tell Taya about what you did too." Ritsu said.
"Yeah, Uta!" Ruko said. "If it wasn't for you, Taya might not even be awake now."
"Huh?" Taya asked.
"Oh, yeah..." I started. I suddenly felt sheepish. "You see, the hospital... had a shortage of O negative blood. Since we don't know your blood type, that's the blood they decided to give you, since anyone can receive that kind. But there was a blood shortage and the hospital had only one pint left. Since my own blood type is O negative, I decided to donate the remaining two pints... so I guess... I guess that means my blood is flowing in your body right now!"
I suddenly began feeling embarrassed and flustered. My face started turning hot, and I felt myself become a bit more woozy from my loss of blood.
I thought I even saw Taya's face turn a bit red too, even though he was still quite pale from his condition. Was it an adverse reaction from my blood? I hoped not!
"Oh, um... wow." Taya uttered. "You're truly incredible, Uta. You're like... a true hero. I don't know if I could ever thank you enough..."
"It's... fine, really..." I said, even though I was actually becoming really emotional.
Before I knew it, I was pouring my heart out.
"Taya, I... it's because... I... couldn't stand seeing you in so much pain... Of course I had to help you. You're my friend of course..."
"Uta..." Taya gushed. "Everyone... I'm so blessed to have met you guys..."
"Aww..." Ruko said. "But take it easy, I think strong emotions may be exerting it a little."
We shared a bit of a laugh. We spent the rest of the night casually chatting, as if we were in our dorm. Being there to comfort Taya through the ordeal and turning it all into a memory worth saving was such an unforgettable feeling.
—
Taya was finally discharged late that night. He was still feeling quite weak, and so was I. But him moreso. Taya, Ritsu and I rode back to the dorms in Ruko's car. Teto rode back in Momo's. It turns out Momo had gotten her driver's license this year.
Taya and I both fell into a deep sleep in the back of Ruko's car as we were headed back to the dorms. We even totally slept through Ruko's crazy driving. We went back to the dorms and headed straight for our beds, where we both instantly collapsed and continued our slumbers for the rest of the night.
—
Thank goodness it was Saturday, because we both needed to sleep in. Taya also wasn't in any condition to go to school either, if it had been a school day. In his weakened state, it seemed he had gotten a bit of a cough and headache and was now feeling quite under the weather on top of feeling groggy and woozy.
"You probably just need more sleep." I said. "You know, I probably do too, thinking about it. You really can never have too much, I'd say."
It was only 11:00 AM. Sleeping until mid-noon after eating breakfast sounded like such a plan to me.
"Okay, I'll cook breakfast..." Taya said, weakly. "Do you want an omelette?"
Right after he said that, he had a coughing fit, and I knew he was in no shape to make breakfast.
"Taya, you shouldn't exert yourself right now!" I said. "But... hm, you know what? I know of something really great I can make using just the microwave. I'll be right back."
I hoped Taya would be comforted by my microwave surprise.
Midway through the process, Taya poked his head in the kitchen to check on me, probably to make sure nothing had exploded yet.
"I'm doing fine!" I said. "It's coming out pretty good."
"It smells really good." Taya said. He coughed a bit again. "Ah, sorry. I have a cough... Well, I'm surprised I can even smell it, considering I couldn't smell anything else this morning. What is it?"
"Okay, so. You know how I eat microwaveable rice packs sometimes?" I said. "I just add some butter, cheese, mushrooms, spices, and vegetables to make it into risotto!"
"Ooh, I love risotto." Taya smiled a bit. "That's pretty innovative to make such a convenient version like that."
"It tastes surprisingly good." I said. "Especially for something I would come up with."
"I'd imagine it would taste incredible." Taya said.
Now Taya was just flattering me.
After it was finished, we ate together in my room.
"This is really good, Uta! I feel my energy being restored." Taya said.
"I'm so glad. Eat up. After that, rest and take it easy, okay?" I smiled. I was beginning to sound like I was his mother though. I was really concerned about him.
After sleeping in a bit more, I woke up again at 4:00 PM. Wow. An entire day just flew by basically, and I spent the brunt of it asleep!
I checked in on Taya. He was still asleep, but something didn't feel peaceful at all about the way he was sleeping...
His breathing sounded pained.
I felt his forehead and noticed he was very warm.
Just this action of my hand on his face seemed to have woken him up out of his light slumber.
"Uta...?" He said. "Oh..."
I noticed his voice was weak. He began to cough again.
"I don't feel good."
My heart immediately dropped.
"Taya, tell me the details." I said.
"My head hurts..." He said. "It's hard to breathe. I feel weak and faint, and I think I have a fever."
"You are running a fever." I said. "You were very warm just now. I'm concerned because you said it was hard to breathe. Taya... do you think you need to go to the emergency room?"
Taya shook his head to say no. He started coughing and hacking again.
"I'm sorry..." He said once his coughing fit ended. He then struggled to catch his breath. I heard wheezing from his lungs.
"That doesn't sound good at all." I said. "I'm taking you to a hospital."
"But you can't drive and I'd hate to drag Ruko into this again." Taya said.
"Momo can also drive." I said.
"I'd hate to drag Momo into this too!" Taya said.
"Then I'll call a taxi." I said.
"I'd hate to inconvenience the taxi driver." Taya said.
"Taya, that's literally their job." I said. "To drive people."
"But... they wouldn't want a sick person in the back seat..." Taya said.
"So now you finally admit you're unwell." I said. "I'll call an ambulance."
"It's not that bad... really..." Taya said, deliriously.
These also just happened to be Taya's final words before the lack of oxygen got to him and he passed out once more in his bed.
Oh no.
I shouldn't have prompted him to talk so much. I shouldn't have had that mini arguement...
Anyway, I had to do something. It looked like ambulance it was.
Why did ambulances have to make such a scene when they arrived anywhere?
When they came to pick up Taya, he was carried out on a stretcher, and everyone was watching. People were worried. Momo, Teto, Ruko, and Ritsu lived in the same building, but they were in their rooms or busy and didn't notice the commotion. Otherwise, they would've rushed to be with Taya too.
Seeing Taya be wheeled into an ambulance unconscious was enough to make my heart hurt. Seeing that and not knowing what was going on would surely make any friend of him panic.
The ambulance drove off, with Taya and I in it, it's loud siren wailing through the air.
—
When we got to the hospital, it was a long and painful wait. Taya regained consciousness after being hooked up to oxygen. I broke down and apologized to him that the past few days have been so rough on him. I was so proud of him for getting through it and taking it the way he did.
I thought Taya was truly something brave.
After a lot of diagnostic tests, it was concluded that Taya had a case of pneumonia and he couldn't catch his breath because of fluid that had accumulated in his lungs. It was theorized that when he was anemic, his body was weakened and became predisposed to developing the infection that caused his pneumonia.
As Taya was a singer, we were also worried about how this would negatively impact his ability to sing, and for how long. His performance was coming up very soon, if you put it into perspective. Would he be able to perform well that day?
Taya and I were then alone in the hospital room.
"I'm sorry." Taya apologized. "I'm so sorry Uta. I'm seriously such a burden."
"You're anything but a burden, Taya." I said. "Nothing is your fault, okay? Qingxian is to blame. She took advantage of you without considering your well-being."
Suddenly, someone burst into the room... at first I thought it could've been Ruko. Ritsu? Teto? Momo?
But it was none of them. If I gave you a hint to who it was, you might not believe me, so I'll just come out and say it.
It was Qingxian.
Speak of the devil!
"You! What the heck are YOU doing here?" I said, aggressively.
Ugh. She was the last face I wanted to see right about now. Or ever. She was the sole reason Taya was in this mess. And she wasn't the least bit apologetic on top of it all. It ticked me off. This girl was a monster.
"I rushed here as soon as I learned Taya was in the hospital." Qing said.
Oh really? Yeah right.
"Well, considering you were the one who put him in here, did you think it would magically redeem you? Or did you come to ask him for ANOTHER favor?" I said. I rolled my eyes. I normally was never this snide. Except with people I despised. And Qingxian fit that bill.
"I... I only wanted to see how he was doing." Qing said. "Please don't give me such an attitude, okay?"
"Excuse me, are you talking to ME?" I said. "You're the whole reason Taya is in this mess in the first place. And nice to know that you love to watch him suffer, you monster!"
"That's... not true at all." Qing said. "Let's talk outside. I think we're upsetting Taya by arguing in here."
"The only thing that's upsetting him is you. Get out." I said forcefully.
"Uta, please calm down. Nothing is that bad." Qingxian said.
What?
I couldn't believe what I was hearing! Not that bad!? Calm down? As if she wasn't the cause of this whole ordeal?
Before I knew it, I couldn't fight the urge to bring my palm to her face and slap her.
As soon as I did that, the tears began to flow.
From me.
"How... how could you?" I began to cry. "How could you say that after everything you put him through? Taya was on death's doorstep yesterday because you made him mow your lawn in the rain while he was anemic... He had to get a blood transfusion here, and now he's back because it left him too weak to fight off a pneumonia infection! Taya is a sweet, sensitive person, and you took advantage of every bit of it. He deserves none of what he got."
"Oh, I'm... sorry to hear that... Also, I was just trying to console you." Qing said.
Why did everything she said to try to redeem herself sound so lifeless and fake?
"No!" I said. I couldn't even think straight. I was too overcome with emotion. "It's your fault! I don't wanna hear it from you so get out!"
"Geez... Well then. Bye."
Qingxian took off and left.
Good riddance.
I just hope I didn't upset Taya too much by arguing so vehemently with Qingxian. I know Taya hated arguments and conflict.
But surprisingly...
"Uta, thank you." Taya said, once she left. "You stood up for me... You're so outspoken for the sake of me. Thank you."
"It's nothing. I can't stand her either." I said.
"But... that leaves a problem." Taya said. "Qingxian is a performer in my play. I wonder if things can still keep going the way they are. The play is supposed to be a happy memory, and well... if Qingxian is in it, it would be ruined a bit."
I did agree with that. I wondered what would have to be done. We had gone so far in our production, and the play was going to be performed so soon. It's not like she could be replaced now.
I felt so bad for Taya. The performance of this play had meant so much to him. But Qingxian's presence in the theatre club just had to ruin it all...
I just hoped that we didn't have to interact with her anymore for long.
NOTE: I know, the medical stuff in this chapter is most likely super inaccurate.