The phone rang out in the hall. We decided to ignore it, but it continued
to ring. 4...5...6...
I finally answered it. It was Hatori. "Hello? Hatori?" "Tohru, is Shigure
there? I need to speak with him." Since we were in the middle of something,
I would have told him Shigure wasn't available, but Hatori's voice seemed
urgent. "Um...yeah. Hold on." I handed the phone to Shigure.
"Hello? Hari?" There was a short pause. "What?" Another pause followed. "I'll be right over then." Shigure put down the phone. "Tohru, I have to go. It's urgent," he told me. "But what-" "I'll be back in a few hours. Tell Yuki and Kyo. Bye!" he said quickly as he rushed out the door, leaving me speechless. "Oh, okay," I said softly to the still air surrounding me.
There went my chance. I was going to do it, to end this. But now it had slipped away between my fingers. I would have to try again. What could have been so urgent to interrupt this? What was so important he had to leave on such short notice? I had been waiting for this moment, gathering my courage to confront him, and now gone in the blink of an eye. I staggered over to the cough and plopped down onto it. I sat in the silence for a few moments; I was still in shock of what had happened. He just, left. My head lolled to the side and I looked at the wall for a moment.
Finally standing, I hit myself on the head. "Tohru, how could you be so stupid?" At the moment I was not concerned with the fact of why Shigure had left in such a hurry, or the fact that Hatori had sounded urgent on the phone when he called. I was still absorbing the fact, that that moment wasn't even a moment. It was a second when I choked out a single, vital sentence that was suddenly interrupted by the phone.
"Oh Mom, how could I have let that happen? I was so close." Frustrated, I went into the kitchen and began washing dishes in the hopes of working off my frustration and getting my mind off of what had just happened. Finishing the final dish, I dried my hands.
Well, the dishes hadn't helped my frustrations in the least, nor to get my mind off Shigure. So, I decided, I was going to go find him. Though I had no idea where he had gone. A police station, a hospital? I decided that in an attempt to locate him, I would call Hatori.
Rushing to the phone, I dialed his familiar number hastily and then the other line began to ring. It rang two or three times until the answering machine came on. It began to play until the phone was suddenly received in a hurry. "Hello?" said an out-of-breathe Hatori. "Hello. Hatori, where did Shigure go?" I asked. "He went to the hospital. I'm going there as well; would you like me to drive you there as well?" he offered. "Oh, yes. Please do," I said. "I'll pick you up," he said. "Wait!" I said. But the phone had already been hung up and all that was left was a low dial tone on the other end. Setting the phone down, I ran upstairs and got my coat. Passing Yuki on the stairs, I said: "Yuki, I'm going somewhere with Hatori. I'll see you later. Bye." Yuki simply nodded. I think he had been suspecting something was being settled between Shigure and I and he didn't want to interfere. He probably thought this was just an issue of that which would eventually resolve itself, so he left it alone.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^*...
Ten minutes later Hatori picked me up and drove to the hospital. Traffic was surprisingly light as we drove. At every stop light he would hit his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. Hatori didn't tell me what the purpose was of going to the hospital though he seemed very urgent about it. Thoughts whirled about my head, the events of earlier forgotten.
We finally arrived at the hospital as Hatori pulled into the parking lot and almost immediately was out of the car, running for the hospital. I struggled to keep up with him until we were across the parking lot and in a waiting room. Hatori rushed over to a desk with a nurse behind it. "I need to know the room of Sohma Akito in CCU," he explained. "Are you family?" The nurse asked. "Yes," Hatori gasped. The nurse nodded and looked it up on her computer. "E 19, 4th floor," she replied. "Thank you," Hatori said as he raced to the elevator, I following.
On the ride up the elevator, I was wondering of what could be wrong. Had something bad happened to Akito? Why was he at the hospital? But I had a feeling all my questions would be answered in a few minutes.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal the 4th floor of the hospital. We walked past doctors and nurses and patients and I had to dodge a hurried nurse. Only when we reached the 4th floor waiting room did Hatori slow down and catch his breathe. We entered through a door. There were few people in it, but one I recognized. I rushed over to Shigure's back. He turned around and said: "Oh, Tohru. Akito, he had a stroke."
The end of ch. 6. I know, it's a bit shorter than the other ones. Until next time!
"Hello? Hari?" There was a short pause. "What?" Another pause followed. "I'll be right over then." Shigure put down the phone. "Tohru, I have to go. It's urgent," he told me. "But what-" "I'll be back in a few hours. Tell Yuki and Kyo. Bye!" he said quickly as he rushed out the door, leaving me speechless. "Oh, okay," I said softly to the still air surrounding me.
There went my chance. I was going to do it, to end this. But now it had slipped away between my fingers. I would have to try again. What could have been so urgent to interrupt this? What was so important he had to leave on such short notice? I had been waiting for this moment, gathering my courage to confront him, and now gone in the blink of an eye. I staggered over to the cough and plopped down onto it. I sat in the silence for a few moments; I was still in shock of what had happened. He just, left. My head lolled to the side and I looked at the wall for a moment.
Finally standing, I hit myself on the head. "Tohru, how could you be so stupid?" At the moment I was not concerned with the fact of why Shigure had left in such a hurry, or the fact that Hatori had sounded urgent on the phone when he called. I was still absorbing the fact, that that moment wasn't even a moment. It was a second when I choked out a single, vital sentence that was suddenly interrupted by the phone.
"Oh Mom, how could I have let that happen? I was so close." Frustrated, I went into the kitchen and began washing dishes in the hopes of working off my frustration and getting my mind off of what had just happened. Finishing the final dish, I dried my hands.
Well, the dishes hadn't helped my frustrations in the least, nor to get my mind off Shigure. So, I decided, I was going to go find him. Though I had no idea where he had gone. A police station, a hospital? I decided that in an attempt to locate him, I would call Hatori.
Rushing to the phone, I dialed his familiar number hastily and then the other line began to ring. It rang two or three times until the answering machine came on. It began to play until the phone was suddenly received in a hurry. "Hello?" said an out-of-breathe Hatori. "Hello. Hatori, where did Shigure go?" I asked. "He went to the hospital. I'm going there as well; would you like me to drive you there as well?" he offered. "Oh, yes. Please do," I said. "I'll pick you up," he said. "Wait!" I said. But the phone had already been hung up and all that was left was a low dial tone on the other end. Setting the phone down, I ran upstairs and got my coat. Passing Yuki on the stairs, I said: "Yuki, I'm going somewhere with Hatori. I'll see you later. Bye." Yuki simply nodded. I think he had been suspecting something was being settled between Shigure and I and he didn't want to interfere. He probably thought this was just an issue of that which would eventually resolve itself, so he left it alone.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^*...
Ten minutes later Hatori picked me up and drove to the hospital. Traffic was surprisingly light as we drove. At every stop light he would hit his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. Hatori didn't tell me what the purpose was of going to the hospital though he seemed very urgent about it. Thoughts whirled about my head, the events of earlier forgotten.
We finally arrived at the hospital as Hatori pulled into the parking lot and almost immediately was out of the car, running for the hospital. I struggled to keep up with him until we were across the parking lot and in a waiting room. Hatori rushed over to a desk with a nurse behind it. "I need to know the room of Sohma Akito in CCU," he explained. "Are you family?" The nurse asked. "Yes," Hatori gasped. The nurse nodded and looked it up on her computer. "E 19, 4th floor," she replied. "Thank you," Hatori said as he raced to the elevator, I following.
On the ride up the elevator, I was wondering of what could be wrong. Had something bad happened to Akito? Why was he at the hospital? But I had a feeling all my questions would be answered in a few minutes.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal the 4th floor of the hospital. We walked past doctors and nurses and patients and I had to dodge a hurried nurse. Only when we reached the 4th floor waiting room did Hatori slow down and catch his breathe. We entered through a door. There were few people in it, but one I recognized. I rushed over to Shigure's back. He turned around and said: "Oh, Tohru. Akito, he had a stroke."
The end of ch. 6. I know, it's a bit shorter than the other ones. Until next time!