He was dead tired ; but he didn't give a shit . He had to find something to make Ken better again , and he didn't mind if he wasn't able to sleep again for a year , just as long as he got what he wanted .
He already called a fourth of the people in his cell's phonebook . He had talked to mayors , producers , CEO's , chairmen ... the list was endless .
He wondered how Yohji managed to stuff hundreds of names in his phonebook . Come to think of it ... he never looked at it anyway .
He sighed and blinked his eyes rapidly , trying in vain to drive away sleep .
God ! He was tired !
Schuldich was driving towards the city's main hospital to meet up with a famous surgeon there . He had already made an appointment on the phone just an hour ago when the doctors had driven him away from Ken's bedside .
He was anxious to get news of Ken , he wanted to know desperately how the brunette was doing and being away from his bedside was killing him but he knew he had to do this .
For Ken .
He'd been trying to contact them every five minutes to see how Ken was doing , so far with no luck .
He had promised himself that he was not going to let Ken die . And he wasn't . Even through just sheer force of will ; Ken was going to survive .
He ground his teeth . He could feel the cold sweat trickling down his neck like a nervous snake ; writhing ever so slowly .
Why did he feel so damn apprehensive ?
His cell phone sounded , jarring him out of his thoughts . " Yeah ? Hey man . I'm fine Yohj . No . Just tired . Have you talked to the doctor from Europe ? You made an appointment ? Tomorrow . Eight-thirty a.m. No , it's fine . Thanks man . I owe you one ."
His shoulders slumped as he flipped off his phone ; like he had been drained of all energy . He certainly felt like it too , an he didn't know what else he could do to change that .
He watched the stoplight turn green and drove on , turning round the bend to the steep climb as the large private hospital came into view .
Maybe he should go back to Ken ...
No . He'd been driving for more than half an hour . He should at least get what he came there for .
He had to find someone to operate on Ken ; someone who could cure him . And if the doctor in this hospital could , he could stand to be away from Ken for an hour so he could stay with him for even longer ... hopefully , a lifetime ...
He parked his Beemer in an empty slot and reached for the door , he paused , once more nervous , as if something was gnawing at the back of his mind . His hands refused to stay still for even a moment , and they moved almost with a mind of their own .
Suddenly , he was acutely aware of the wailing of sirens growing louder and louder with each passing moment until an ambulance careened into view up the front entrance of the hospital .
The ambulance doors were flung open and several paramedics jumped out hauling a stretcher carefully onto the ground .
For a moment , Schuldich thought that he was hallucinating .
It couldn't be ...
And yet ...
" Aya ?" He drew a painful breath and rushed to the harried personnel , his eyes widening as he saw the battered body of Ken's domineering elder brother .
This can't be happening . Ken can't lose Aya too ...
No ... God can't be too cruel ! How could he take everything away all at once from someone who lived so unselfishly his whole life ?
Why ?
*
Blood was everywhere ; and he wasn't sure if the redhead was even alive .
People were shouting left and right .
It was pandemonium and there was nothing he could do but stand there ; alone and unmoving . Too much was happening in too short a span of time and he didn't know if he was capable of digesting it all .
People gathering around , forming a white crowd surging forward through the white corridors , echoing the harried shouts and the frantic orders .
It was like a recurring nightmare ; only this time , it wasn't Ken who was lying pale and motionless on the white stretcher .
Only this time , the broken body's scarlet hair faded into the swirling mass of burgundy soaking into the pristine cover .
Oh God . How was he going to tell Ken ?
Suddenly , amidst the flurry and the noise and the terrible chaos , his cellular phone rang ; it's tiny shrilling sound barely audible above the general confusion .
He grabbed it , his hands shaking ; his nerves frazzled . " Hello ?" He felt so weak . He felt like his knees would buckle under him and he'd make such a big fool of himself . Days of being unable to eat and sleep properly ; all the emotional roller coaster rides were taking a large toll on his body and his soul .
" Mr. Schwarz ?"
" What ?" It came out harsher than expected . It was the voice of a man on surviving the edge .
" We couldn't contact Mr. Fujimiya ; so I'm afraid I have to tell you the bad news ."
The detached voice paused for a moment , obviously trying to gain his bearings .
" We regret to inform you that our patient , Ken Hidaka , had just fallen into a coma twenty minutes ago ."
† † †
Schu : Hah ! I'm so glad that you haven't killed me yet ! After your brief bout of hysteria I was kinda fearing for my life ! *lol* Thanks , I'm a bit better now . I guess bronze is fine , I was just a bit disappointed . But I'm great now ! ^__^
KyraEnsui : Sorry about that ! ^__~ But you know how I am . I just love leaving people at the edge of their seats (if that happens at all) Call it a complex . (maybe I should name it Cliffhanger Complex) Bwahahahaha !!!!
Carrothien : Why hello there ! ^__^ It was meant to be unexpected ! ^__~ You know how it is . *lol* like I said , Cliffhanger Complex ! Thanks , I hope to see more of you around !
Ariestar48 : *evil laughter echoing at the background , and screams too* Alternate meaning ? I'm not too sure yet . Just a few more chapters to go and we'll wait it out together . (I'd like to find out if I'm truly a sadist !) I'm glad that I 'made it work and made it good' . It feels good to know my work is appreciated . ^_______^
Ketty : It does doesn't it ? ^__+ Woohoo !!! Just a few more weeks of waiting . I can't believe that this is going for sooo long already !!!
Chahiya : I do , don't I ? ^____~ Yup , you did , quite a few times already , methinks . (Actually , I'm on it , but don't tell anybody ! j/k!) Thanks a lot , I'll be counting on that ! ^__~
Whisper Reilman : new plan , new plan ! Yippeeee !!! ^o^ Plan Alpha ? . Plan Beta ? . *just bursts into evil laughter* Thanks for saying that , I appreciate it a lot . *ponders* maybe I should become a novelist ! :P Bunnies and happiness ? I'll think about it , although I can't guarantee I'll be much fun with that kind of plot . ^___~
Zeto : So did you cry when he did ? *evil laughter again , heh* That really cracked me up , the comment about Aya kicking the bucket . My imagination took it quite literally and I could imagine Aya with a rope around his neck standing on a bucket and then jumping off . *rolls around , laughing* Owww . *wipes away the tears of laughter* Aherrrrm . Well anyway . I agree . Ken IS more lovable . Still my champion at the top of my list ! Thank you , thank you ~ *bows*
E-san : Hello there ! I'm glad to see yet another new reader ! ^__^ Welcome to my insanity then , and I hope to see more of you around too !
Schu-chan : Now . I make people worry . YES !!! Favorfavorsfavors . I hear Schu called Dr. Jekyll for an appointment , to discuss Ken's surgery . I wonder how Ken will look after it *pondersponders* Evil ? Yes !
Misura : Sorry , Aya was brought to another hospital . I can't have them being sick together now can I ? It's too complicated . (Not that I mind it being too complicated XD) Sorry about that . I didn't mean to make anyone depressed . Or maybe I did . Nannnya . Borderline personality talking here . I'm glad you found the characters even a bit realistic . I was wondering if my imagination (and my muses) are going out of hand , having a party with my dad's collection of vodka .