Ranma's Flu
10
Akane walked through the ICU. She got to the main door, grabbed the doorknob and sighed.
She got to the café. The adults were sitting there in the same table as before.
"Well? Did everything go well?" Genma asked.
"Kinda... They put him a catheter and, well, that was a bit difficult... But I think everything's going to be fine", Akane mumbled. "But they told me that we should leave now. That we could come back tomorrow."
"Okay", Nodoka nodded. "Well, I guess we really should let him rest."
They drove all the way to the Tendo dojo. Everyone got in. As they took off their shoes at the hallway, both Kasumi and Nabiki walked to them. They sighed, as they saw no Ranma.
"How is Ranma-chan?" Kasumi asked with a sad face.
"He is barely concius... And had a cardiac arrest..." Nodoka mumbled, sad. "He is given a transfusion since he keeps coughing and throwing up blood."
"He is also having symptoms of kidney failure, as he hasn't peed in days. He has a catheter..." Genma sighed.
"Whoa..." Nabiki mumbled her eyes wide, with chewing gum in her mouth. "Sounds like he's gonna die..." But she wasn't sounding cheeky.
"No. My son is NOT going to die! He's strong!" Genma roared.
"We will go there again tomorrow morning", Genma said as they had dinner.
"But my fall vacation ends tomorrow", Akane pointed out.
"Oh yes, now that you mention it..." Soun snapped his fingers. "And so does Ranma's and Nabiki's, too. You have got a lot to explain your classmates, where Ranma is and why."
"Yea..." Akane mumbled. "But could we go to the hospital after I get out of school? At about 3-4 PM?"
"Why not. I'm sure he won't mind", Genma nodded.
Now that there was really nothing to do, Soun took Genma and Nodoka to the nearest furniture store to buy her her own bed, so she didn't need to sleep on a futon on the floor anymore. They got it in pieces, but had no trouble building it up in the other side of Kasumi's room.
Night came. Lights were put out in the Tendo dojo and everyone got in bed. Nabiki and Soun slept well in their own rooms, Kasumi and Nodoka having no problems either... But Genma couldn't sleep. He was laying on his side, looking at the empty futon next to him. Ranma's pajamas were folded on it. What if those would never be worn again? Even though Genma always kept saying that 'his son in strong' and 'he will be okay', he was actually getting worried. What if he really wouldn't make it?
Back at the hospital's ICU, Ranma was having his first night. He was awake, but barely concius. He listened to the echoing sounds of machines beeping and people talking. Nights were just much of a hassle as days in here. People were dying. Having heart-attacks and getting electroshocks. Tens of nurses were running around.
"Uhh..." Ranma mumbled and closed his eyes. He felt weaker than ever before.
Time passed. Suddenly Ranma sensed someone standing beside his bed. He felt something squeeze his right bicep. He opened his eyes slowly and saw a nurse. A Very worried nurse. She just stood still, and when the squeezing stopped, her eyes widened and she sighed.
"I'll get the doctor", the nurse said, quiet, petting the boy's chest. She pulled the curtain around Ranma's bed and walked away.
Ranma tossed and turned in his bed, coughing. He had horrible pain all over his body. He could barely feel his hands and feet. They were swollen.
"...Ranma..."
"Ranma...?"
"Look at those numbers... His fever is getting even higher..." Ranma felt something cold and wet being rubbed against his face.
"...But the blood pressure is dropping by the minute..."
"Listen, Ranma, listen. You are most probably having a septic shock..."
"...Can you hear us, Ranma? If you can, squeeze my ha..."
Ranma coughed a few times, and then blacked out.
Night passed, and the sun rose, waking up people and getting them ready for work and school. This was an especial day for the kids, as the fall vacation of all schools – elementary, junior high and high school – ended today. Akane and Nabiki were getting ready for their school day. The parents and Kasumi would stay home, like always.
"Should we go to the grocery store?" Soun suggested while having their breakfast.
"We're off to school!" Nabiki shouted as she and Akane dashed out of the door.
They ate. Nodoka seemed sad.
"What is it, auntie Nodoka?" Kasumi asked.
"I have this feeling that Ranma is not... not going to make it..."
"Don't worry, he's fine..." Genma tried to console his wife, placing his hand on her shoulder. But she reacted in a way nobody had even seen before...
"You didn't see him stop breathing! You didn't see him being resuscitated!" the lady shouted, burst in tears and wrapped her hands around her husband. At first Genma didn't react, but finally hugged back.
"We'll see him later today."
Akane and Nabiki walked all the way to the school together. They separated at the schoolyard, and soon Akane saw her classmates. They had gathered up at the swings.
"Hey, look!" one boy shouted, waving his hand. "Akane! Come here!"
Smiling, Akane jogged to her friends. Now that she was there, the whole class had gathered around... Except one.
The youth group walked into the school building together. They got in one classroom, but then one girl looked at Akane and asked:
"Hey, where's Ranma?" Everyone turned at Akane . "Has he slept in?"
"...He won't be coming", she mumbled. "For a while."
"Why?" a boy asked.
"He's sick."
"Heh, a little flu won't keep him home for longer than a few days!" one boy laughed out. Akane didn't feel like laughing. The boy noticed that. "Huh? I-is he Really sick or...?"
"Yes", Akane nodded. "He's in the hospital's ICU."
Everyone gasped their eyes wide, whispering around.
"Gee! What happened?"
"I dunno... First it was just a normal flu, then influenza and... then he got bad complications, making him septic..."
One girl raised her hand.
"You know, I think we should make him a get-well-soon card together!" she suggested.
Everyone in the class had got in their places, and soon the teacher walked in, smiling.
"Hello, everybody! Did you have a nice fall vacation?" She placed some books on her table. But then she noticed one desk being empty.
"Hm? Where's Ranma?"
All the students looked around at each other, finally all staring at Akane. She sighed, stood up and said:
"He is in the hospital, ICU."
The teacher flinched.
"Oh my... Will he be alright?" she asked.
"Well... he had a cardiac arrest ("Oh my God!" – one girl shouted out...) and such but... I want to believe he'll make it."
"So, teacher, we have an idea of how to start the day!" one boy raised his hand. "Let's make a card for Ranma!"
The teacher smiled and nodded.
"What a sweet idea!"
The card itself was made mostly by Akane. She cut a heart from red paper and glued it in the middle of a thin, folded, light pink cardboard sheet. Then she wrote her name right in the middle of the heart. She handed over the card to one girl. She wrote her name on it. And so on, soon the whole class had signed the card. Finally it was teacher's turn. Before writing, she looked at the card from front and inside. The whole card was filled with names and a few hearts and stars. She smiled and signed it.
The rest of the school day they got back to normal classes. They started with maths, then history, some kanji studying, and finally sports.
Now the girls were changing their sportswear to their own clothes.
"Will you go see him?" one girl asked.
"Yeah, just after I get home", Akane answered.
"Could we come?" one of her best friends asked.
"Sorry, no. They accept only one visitor at the time, and not only me but his parents want to see him. And I... I don't wanna sound rude but I don't really think you are the number one people he wants to visit him."
"Aw... I kinda understand you thou", the girl mumbled. "Well, bring him the card."
"And tell him to get well soon", another smiled.
"Alright", Akane nodded with a small chuckle.
The school bell rang. It was 3 PM. The elementary kids were already gone, and Nabiki was nowhere to be seen either. Akane walked back home alone. She felt so lonely while walking beside the metal hedge going through the city, on which Ranma always walked beside her.
"...I miss you..." she said, quiet, as if he was there. Then se started fast steps getting towards her. It was Nabiki.
"Wait!" she shouted out and stopped by Akane's side. "Are you getting a bit desperate? Look, knowing Ranma, he can survive almost everythi..."
"You wouldn't say that if you saw him in all those tubes and machines... And vomiting blood, barely concious..."
Nabiki went all quiet. She sighed.
"Yea, maybe you're right..."
The sisters arrived at the Tendo dojo. As they took their shoes off, Kasumi walked to them.
"I made some sandwiches for you", she smiled. "After you've eaten, you, Akane, can go see Ranma-chan with my dad and your parents."
"Thanks", Akane smiled a bit. She went to the living room, where the adults had gathered, drinking coffee.
"Hi, Akane-chan!" Nodoka greeted. "We already ate our sandwiches. You take your time."
Akane sat down beside Nodoka and started eating. She didn't like coffee though, so she drank just juice.
They were ready just before 4 PM. The assembly was the same – Akane and Nodoka at the back seats, Genma and Soun at the front.
"So. In which order will we meet him?" Genma asked everyone. Nodoka was about to enroll in first, but Akane was faster:
"Me!" the girl shouted out, but after noticing how the lady was about to lift her hand, she went quiet. "A... ah, sorry, auntie Nodoka. Of course you can be the first..."
"No", Nodoka smiled. "You can go first. I'll be the next one."
"Right. Then I'm the last one", Genma nodded.
And so, the adults went to the café, and Akane got on her way to the ICU, with the get-well-soon card in her breast pocket. She opened the door and peeked in. With slow, careful steps she got on her way and soon arrived at Ranma's bedside. He seemed asleep, otherwise just like yesterday, but wore an oxygen mask this time. Akane dug her breast pocket and showed him the card.
"H-here, Ranma..." she stammered and felt like crying. "I made it at school and... Everyone in out class signed it... The teacher, too... Everyone wishes you well..." She put the card down on the night stand and sat down a stool on the other side of the bed. She gave a look upon the machines. Three drip bags – one of them obviously blood. There was some kind of a large screen, maybe his heart rate monitor. And that gray strap around his bicep – she knew what it was. A blood pressure meter. And, finally, a screen that showed his temperature. And that number wasn't nice to look at – 41.8 C. But the beeping was steady. That meant everything was well then, right?
She placed her hand on his chest and sighed.
"I miss you... We all do... Your parents are so nerve-wrecked... So is my dad and Kasumi... Even Nabiki..." she whispered with a small tear in her eye, wishing the boy to open his eyes. But why didn't that happen?
Finally a nurse came to the youth. She had some papers in her hands, and a pen.
"Oh, hello. I saw you here yesterday", she smiled. She looked at the monitors and wrote something down on her papers.
"M-may I ask why he isn't he reacting to anything? Is he really in that deep sleep or...?"
"Oh, they didn't tell you?"
Akane shook her head fast. "Tell me what?"
"He's in coma."
This time it was Akane who felt her heart stop. She inhaled and covered her mouth with her hands. "W-wha...? Wha...?!"
"It happened last night. His severe sepsis turned into septic shock. His blood pressure crashed down and then he simply fell in coma. What is good is that he doesn't need to be intubated, he can breathe with the mask."
Akane stared at Ranma and wiped the tears off her eyes.
"But don't worry, he is in good hands here", the nurse smiled, sad.
Nothing happened for a while. Akane was holding her hand on Ranma's chest, stroking him with her thumb. Suddenly she started hearing some beeping she hadn't heard before. She flinched with fear and pressed the nurse alarm button. In ten seconds a nurse ran to them.
"W-what is this beeping...?" Akane asked in horror.
"Don't worry, it's the feeding pump. It starts beeping when the liquid nourishment is out", the nurse smiled. "I'll be back."
Akane sighed in relief.
And soon the nurse returned with a bag of liquid nourishment. She contacted in with the feeding tube and hung it from the drip stand. She pushed some buttons on the pump and smiled.
"That's it. Dinner is served."
"Thank you", Akane nodded.
For a while Akane just sat still, looking around every now and then. She sighed. Maybe it was now the right time for her to switch places with Ranma's mom.
"See you. Maybe tomorrow. You get well", she got closer to him... and kissed his hot, sweaty forehead. "Bye." And she walked away.
Aw man Ranma... Poor kid.
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