tw: mentions of blood and threats of surgery


Maki paced back and forth in the waiting room. No one would tell her how Hinawa was doing or even look her way.

"Hi, excuse me," she said, grabbing the arm of a passing nurse. "I want to know about Lieutenant Takehisa Hinawa's condition."

"I'll tell you more when I find out," the nurse said exasperatedly.

"Can you at least tell me where I can find him?"

"Until he's been examined by the doctor, no one is to see him."

The nurse pulled her arm away from Maki and left her standing alone in the hall. She wrung her hands and looked from the waiting room to the door behind which the nurse disappeared.

No one will know, she thought impatiently. She pushed open the door and disappeared into the triage area.

"Lieutenant?" Maki called out.

She carefully walked through the halls as she searched for the ill Lieutenant. She reached the end of one corridor and turned around; he was nowhere to be found.

"Ma'am, you're not allowed to be back here without a visitor's pass," a nurse called out to her as she walked past the nurses' station.

"I-I lost my pass, and I can't find my way back," Maki lied. "Can you tell me where I can find Lieutenant Takehisa Hinawa?"

"He's not allowed any visitors," the nurse said.

"Oh. Um… okay. Thanks," Maki said, turning around. She fought back tears as she began walking back to the waiting room. She hated to ask for help, but…

"How do I get out of here?" Maki asked, turning back around.

"Go straight down the hall, turn right, and there should be a door that will open back out into the waiting room," the nurse said.

"Thank you," Maki said, bowing. She followed the nurse's directions and, sure enough, came upon a sign that was pointing in the direction of the waiting room. She pushed the door open and walked out into the waiting room.

Captain Obi and everyone else is all scattered throughout the hospital, she thought, sinking into an empty chair near the doors. I'm the only one here in the emergency room with the Lieutenant.

"See? I told you she was in here," she heard someone say. She looked around and saw Lisa coming her way, with Vulcan in tow.

"So? What's going on?" Vulcan asked.

"H-He's not allowed visitors," Maki said, her voice quivering.

"And?"

"They won't tell me anything."

Lisa grabbed her shoulders. "Listen, when Obi gets back, we'll have him get more information from them, okay?"

Maki nodded, crying. She knew she had to stay strong for Hinawa, but how could she when she didn't know anything?


Hinawa groaned as he tried to roll over in bed. He felt the sharp tug of the IV tubes in his arm; his chest felt like it had an unknown force pressing down on it. He struggled to catch his breath.

"Welcome back to the world, Lieutenant Hinawa," a nurse greeted him. Her face was blurry; his glasses were on the bedside table. He glanced at the empty chairs in his room.

"Where's Maki?"

"Who?"

"Maki. Violet eyes. Wears her hair in a ponytail."

"A girl was walking around the emergency room asking about you earlier, but you're not allowed any visitors until the doctor examines you," the nurse said. She injected some kind of medicine into his IV. "This will help your pain from the flowers."

"Please let Maki in here. I need to speak to her," he said hoarsely. "I have to explain."

"I can't. The doctor will be here shortly. Just rest until he comes in."

Hinawa drew a ragged breath. He knew another operation was on the way. "I'm not consenting to anything until I speak to Maki."

The nurse sighed. "I'll talk to the doctor."

Hinawa leaned back against the pillows and stared out his window. The sky was gray, and he could hear distant rumbles of thunder. He coughed and noticed a few bloody forget-me-nots in his hand.

"Lieutenant?"

He turned to see Maki standing in the doorway. She wrung her hands as she let loose a small sob. She walked toward him and sat on the side of his bed; he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her as she cried quietly.

"I'm most likely going to have another operation," Hinawa whispered. "I can't see it any other way now."

"C-Can't you treat it with medicine?" Maki asked.

Hinawa shook his head. "The last time I had the surgery, I lost my memory of you. And I stopped loving you. I don't want to lose you again."

"You won't. Promise me you won't."

"I can't promise. But I know I won't."

Maki hiccuped as tears streamed down her face. "If anything happens, I'll just shove myself back into your life again."

She leaned in and gave him a small kiss before standing. Hinawa wished she would stay longer. He was terrified of the thought of a second surgery, and even more so of losing his newly recovered memories of Maki.

"If they do another surgery, I'll stay and wait," Maki told him.

"Thanks," he told her.

"Miss Oze, your allotted visiting time ended five minutes ago. The doctor has been waiting for you to leave before he comes into the room," a nurse said loudly from the door.

Maki sighed sadly. She didn't want to leave Hinawa, knowing that the next time she saw him, he probably wouldn't remember her. She walked slowly to the door and turned to look at him.

"I guess I'll see you when you're out of surgery." She plastered a big smile on her face to hide how much she was hurting inside.

Hinawa choked back a sob. He wanted to get up and hug her, but he couldn't move his legs. Damn, that pain medicine they gave me is making its way through my body already.

After Maki had left, the doctor walked in and stood by his bedside, looking over his chart. Hinawa moaned quietly.

"What the fuck did you guys do to me?" he asked.

"It's a simple pain drug," the doctor said. He sighed. "We're going to have to do a second operation–"

"No," Hinawa objected immediately.

"If we don't, you're dead in forty-eight hours."

"Isn't there any way you can treat this without me losing my memory of her?"

"This operation is your last chance of survival. And not many people have to have second operations," the doctor said, closing his file. "If you have the operation, you can still love her. If not, you'll leave her heartbroken forever."

Hinawa thought about it; Maki promised to wait on him to come out of surgery. She also said she'd just shove herself back into his life if he lost his memory again.

"Okay," he said. "But, please get it all this time."

"I'll do my best."