An Unexpected Death: Part III
Author's
notes: Same
as always, people - no flaming. I was on what The_Patriot said - "a little
hiatus in South Carolina." Sorry it took so long. Thank you to everyone
who's been reading and giving me comments and this is NOT the last one. Peace
out! ~ Britts (Mimi and Joe's part takes place during Matt's.)
After
the meeting at the park, Joe and Mimi had walked back to the Kido family's
residence. They had walked in silence; the shock of Matt's statement still
sinking in. For once in a long time, Mimi was speechless. Joe let them in with
his key and closed the door behind them.
"My
parents aren't back yet," Joe commented. "So what do you want to
do?"
"I
don't know," Mimi answered softly not meeting his eyes.
"Something
to eat or drink?"
"No..."
Mimi said as she sat down on the couch with her hands clasped in her lap.
Joe
sighed and walked over to where Mimi was sitting. He sat down beside her and
brushed away a lock of hair that was hiding her face. Her eyes were down cast
and brimming with unshed tears.
Mimi
took his hand in hers and studied it for a while. Life's so fragile, she
thought. I've learned that today. I've taken it for granted so many times.
I've never really appreciated the small things. What would happen if one of us...She
put Joe's hand down and leaned forward with her head in her hands as her
shoulders started to shake with quiet sobs.
Joe wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Mimi
turned and returned the gesture. They sat in each other's arms for a long time.
* *
* * *
Ms.
Takiashi looked up as her son Takeru stood and stretched as he yawned.
"I'm
going up," he said as he gave her a quick hug and a kiss goodnight.
"Alright.
Don't stay up too late," she replied with a tired smile. TK nodded as he
headed up the stairs to his room yawning again. Nancy smiled again as she
watched her son ascend the stairs. He looked and acted so much like his brother
now. Lately it had been so hard for her to look the blond boy in the eyes. What
makes it worse, she thought, is that he doesn't know.
Nancy
brushed away a tear as it rolled down her cheek. Why hadn't they told him?
She hated lying to her youngest son. Then she remembered why they
decided not to. Matt wanted to tell his younger brother himself when he was
ready to. Apparently he's not ready yet, Nancy thought angrily. She
looked up from her book and glanced at the clock, which read 7:37. TK was
definitely not going to sleep. He was most likely going to go downstairs when
he thought she was asleep and get on the Internet and stay on into early
morning. He'd been doing that a lot lately.
Nancy got up from the couch after marking her place in her
book and went to the kitchen to make herself a drink. As she walked to the
refrigerator the phone rang. She looked at it warily before picking it up.
"Hello?...Oh
no...Where?...Oh God...Ok...We'll be right there," she said before hanging
up the phone. "TK!"
"What?"
he called anxiously from the bottom of the stairs.
"Get
your shoes on. We have to go to the hospital," she said grabbing her own
jacket and shoes.
"Why?"
he asked quietly.
"Don't
ask questions. Just get into the car," she said hotly. When he didn't move
she knew just what phrase would send him into motion.
"It's
your brother."
* *
* * * *
Izzy sat in his room. He had tried working on the computer
and then reading a book. Now he was just staring at a wall. Nothing was
working. He couldn't get his mind off of the events of earlier that day. He
looked at the clock - 8:00.
I
wonder how Matt's doing, Izzy thought as he got up and stretched. All he could think about was
what Matt had told them. "I'm dying." Izzy shook his head
violently trying to rid the image of Matt's haunted gaze and weakened body. Why
is this happening? Did we do something wrong and in doing so damn an innocent?
Of all the people this could happen to, why Matt?
Izzy
yawned. Why am I so tired? he thought and he shrugged. He changed into a
pair of nightclothes. He sat on his bed staring at the wall once again. Usually
he would stay up late on the net or something but he couldn't tonight.
Something told him that he would need his rest for the near future.
His
body demanded sleep but his mind refused to slow down. He kept trying to figure
out if there was something that everyone had missed while in his heart he knew
that there was nothing. It was like trying to solve a puzzle when half of the
pieces were missing. The dead ends looped over and around each other for hours
until his eyes shut and he gratefully fell into the abyss of sleep.
* *
* * * *
When
Matt finally came to, the first thing his mind registered was white. The
walls, the ceiling, everything was white. And it wasn't just cloud white or
even bleach white; it was sterile white.
The
second thing he noticed was the steady beeping from his bedside. He turned his
head and saw all of the machines monitoring almost every possible body
function. He groaned and thought, A hospital. I'm in another God-forsaken
hospital. He moved his hand to his face and felt the tubes helping him
breathe. I must've given them some trouble if they thought I couldn't
breathe on my own.
He
looked to the foot of the bed and noticed his father lying there asleep. Mr.
Ishida's hand resting on his son's leg. His face was contorted in worry and
tears stained his cheeks. Matt moved his leg and was rewarded with his father's
eyes opening and locking with his own.
Mr.
Ishida walked to where Matt lay and sat on the bed next to Matt. He wrapped his
arms around his frail son being careful of the IV and the tubes helping Matt to
breathe. Tears welled up in their eyes as they held each other close.
What's
happening to me? Matt thought as he sobbed. His father responded by rubbing gentle
circles on his son's back until Matt's breathing slowed and he relaxed into his
father's warm embrace.
* *
* * * *
TK
fidgeted in the hospital's uncomfortable, plastic, waiting room chairs. He'd
come here last night with his mom and asked question after question. No one had
paid him any attention. Either that or he didn't understand the answers. Just
like when I was younger, he thought bitterly. TK was starting to get
frustrated and the fact that he hadn't gotten any sleep the night before wasn't
helping.
Mr.
Ishida walked into the waiting room looking above and beyond haggard. TK and
his mother looked up simultaneously.
"Is
he awake?" Ms. Takiashi asked her ex-husband.
"Yes---,"
he started.
"Can
I go talk to him?" TK cut in, jumping to his feet.
"No,"
his mother answered him.
"Why
not?"
"Because
he needs his rest," his father replied.
"His
rest?!" TK cried. "He's just slept at least 15 hours straight!"
"TK
- calm down," his mother demanded.
"No,
I won't. Not until I get some answers. There's something major that no one is
telling me and I wanna know what it is!"
"I'll
tell you, TK," the brown-haired man said softly knowing that scolding the
boy for his outburst would only make things worse.
"Alright,
so tell me," TK snarled as he crossed his arms across his chest much like
his older brother. Mr. Ishida took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He told
his younger son about the events of the past few months, Matt's sickness, and
what happened that brought Matt to the hospital.
TK
looked horrified. He wrapped his arms around himself as he started shaking. One
of the important people - perhaps the MOST important person - was dying. Why
Matt? Why now? Why? Why? Why? TK took a shuddering breath, turned, and walked
away.
"TK!"
Ms. Takiashi called down the hall to her retreating son.
"Let
him go," Mr. Ishida said evenly as he put a hand on his ex-wife's
shoulder. "He needs time to think."
TK
walked down the hall, his eyes seeing nothing around him. After running into a
few dead ends, he found his way to the pay phones. A thought occurred to him
and he rooted around in his pockets and found some change. He dropped the coins
in the slot and started dialing.
* *
* * * *
Ring...
Ring...
"I
got it!" Hikari Kamiya called to the others in the house as she picked up
the phone.
"Hello?...Oh,
hi TK..." Kari's smile faded. "...You're kidding, right?...You're
not?!...Oh, God...He'll be all right though, won't he?...When do visiting hours
start...?" At this, Mrs. Kamiya looked up at her daughter and noticed she
looked distraught.
"...All
right...I'll start the chain...Don't worry, everything will be
okay...Bye," Kari hung up the phone and ignored her mom's inquiries of
what just transpired.
"TAI!"
Kari called down the hall as she ran to her older brother's room.
"What?!"
he asked her sticking his head out the door.
"I was just on the phone with TK. Something's
happened to Matt," Kari said quickly as she watched her brother pale.
"What
happened?" Tai asked.
"He
collapsed and was admitted into the hospital last night."
"Oh,
God..." Tai muttered looking away.
"TK
wants us to start the chain and have the group be at the hospital when visiting
hours start; he'll meet us in the lobby. You have everyone's number?"
"Where's
the phone?"
