"Kyo, I am not supposed to tell you this. But, I think you should know, especially since I won't be able to visit as often." Yuki was upset, and Kyo laid his cards on the covers.
He had finally been released from those awful restraints and could now move about the bed more freely. He leaned over to see his cousin better. The doctors had told him that the difficulty he had seeing was a result of poor nutrition. He was annoyed that they attributed everything to that.
"What is it, Yuki?" He had not seen his cousin look so upset in sometime.
"Remember what Akito said when he left here?" Kyo nodded his head. Of course he remembered. He couldn't get the sense of foreboding it had caused out of his head. Akito was not one to make empty threats, and that had all the earmarkings of a threat.
"You found out what he meant?" Yuki nodded back. How to do this? He had to step carefully, and not send his cousin into relapse. Kyo had been improving. He had gained some weight and was just starting to open up to him.
"Yes. Akito has cut the funding for your hospital stay. And has made sure that you have no where to go when you do get well." Kyo's mouth dropped open. He looked like he was trying to put words together and just couldn't get the sounds out. Kyo understood. He understood perfectly.
"That means that you will have to find someplace to live and get a job to pay back the bill. It sounds worse than it is." He tried to sound hopeful for his cousins sake.
"Yeah, pretty bad. I don't know how to do anything that will get me a job." Kyo sank back onto the pillows.
"I have an idea." Kyo turned to his cousin, the look of hope just budding in the depths of his eyes. Yuki took a deep breath and continued. "I have a job. It is nothing great, just working with the college grounds keeper, but it means money outside of the family. Haru told me yesterday that he was working, also. We will make arrangements to pay the bill, but it will be hard. Don't worry, okay?"
Kyo was shocked. His cousins were not only offering to use their personal time to help him, they were going against the family head, Akito. It took only a minute for the magnitude of this to actually come to him. "Why?" was all he could come up with.
"It is the right thing to do. I am looking for someplace to live. I am afraid if we go through with this, I am going to have to cut ties with the family, also. Akito will not allow me to help you and continue as I have. Again, don't worry. I am not afraid of Akito, and I want to do this. You have to concentrate on getting well. I talked to the hospital staff and they said you can stay in this room. It will cost more, but you need it. Are you okay with this?"
Kyo was now totally confused. His cousin was asking him if he minded the help that was offered. Why did Yuki want to help him, and why did it matter how he felt about it?
He processed this as quickly as he could, he looked around the room and realized just how expensive it probably was. His things, though few, were scattered about and his eyes came to rest on the sketch pad he had finally been able to use now that his arms were free. He reached for the unfinished drawing and let his fingers trace the lines and smudges on the paper. It was a drawing of his night nurse, Nijan. The man had learned that if he got there early and talked to Kyo for awhile before he went to sleep that the dreams that peppered Kyo's nights were less severe. He had become a friend. Kyo would not have his services without the private room.
"It is too much. I can still get better in another room. You shouldn't have to pay for this. Any of it. I can do something, I think." Kyo would make this sacrifice, he had to.
Yuki watched him finger the picture. Nijan had become an important part of Kyo's recovery. It was him that had caused Yuki to try to keep Kyo here. Kyo needed the man to get well, and Yuki would be willing to pay for that. No matter how difficult it would be. Yuki wanted Kyo to understand that he didn't need to make anymore concessions.
They would manage.
"NO. I want you to have this. You need it and without it you won't be able to get well as soon, then the bill would just be for as much, in length. This is better. Okay?"
Kyo looked up and seeing the determination in his cousins eyes, he merely nodded. "The problem is, I won't be able to come as early, cause I have to work in the mornings.
I can still be here at ten and stay for lunch and then I don't have classes until around two. So we could spend some time together, Haru will come in the evenings. He works after school just a few blocks from here. He said he will have dinner with you. I told him not to harrass you about eating, and he agreed. How does that sound?"
Kyo looked at his hands a moment, then at the scattered things on his bed. "You will still visit me? Even though you have to work, and go to school. I just don't know what to say."
"Just say, that you will beat me at cards everytime I come to visit, then I'll know that I'm really talking to Kyo." The cat smiled and nodded.
"You really suck at this game, too."
He had finally been released from those awful restraints and could now move about the bed more freely. He leaned over to see his cousin better. The doctors had told him that the difficulty he had seeing was a result of poor nutrition. He was annoyed that they attributed everything to that.
"What is it, Yuki?" He had not seen his cousin look so upset in sometime.
"Remember what Akito said when he left here?" Kyo nodded his head. Of course he remembered. He couldn't get the sense of foreboding it had caused out of his head. Akito was not one to make empty threats, and that had all the earmarkings of a threat.
"You found out what he meant?" Yuki nodded back. How to do this? He had to step carefully, and not send his cousin into relapse. Kyo had been improving. He had gained some weight and was just starting to open up to him.
"Yes. Akito has cut the funding for your hospital stay. And has made sure that you have no where to go when you do get well." Kyo's mouth dropped open. He looked like he was trying to put words together and just couldn't get the sounds out. Kyo understood. He understood perfectly.
"That means that you will have to find someplace to live and get a job to pay back the bill. It sounds worse than it is." He tried to sound hopeful for his cousins sake.
"Yeah, pretty bad. I don't know how to do anything that will get me a job." Kyo sank back onto the pillows.
"I have an idea." Kyo turned to his cousin, the look of hope just budding in the depths of his eyes. Yuki took a deep breath and continued. "I have a job. It is nothing great, just working with the college grounds keeper, but it means money outside of the family. Haru told me yesterday that he was working, also. We will make arrangements to pay the bill, but it will be hard. Don't worry, okay?"
Kyo was shocked. His cousins were not only offering to use their personal time to help him, they were going against the family head, Akito. It took only a minute for the magnitude of this to actually come to him. "Why?" was all he could come up with.
"It is the right thing to do. I am looking for someplace to live. I am afraid if we go through with this, I am going to have to cut ties with the family, also. Akito will not allow me to help you and continue as I have. Again, don't worry. I am not afraid of Akito, and I want to do this. You have to concentrate on getting well. I talked to the hospital staff and they said you can stay in this room. It will cost more, but you need it. Are you okay with this?"
Kyo was now totally confused. His cousin was asking him if he minded the help that was offered. Why did Yuki want to help him, and why did it matter how he felt about it?
He processed this as quickly as he could, he looked around the room and realized just how expensive it probably was. His things, though few, were scattered about and his eyes came to rest on the sketch pad he had finally been able to use now that his arms were free. He reached for the unfinished drawing and let his fingers trace the lines and smudges on the paper. It was a drawing of his night nurse, Nijan. The man had learned that if he got there early and talked to Kyo for awhile before he went to sleep that the dreams that peppered Kyo's nights were less severe. He had become a friend. Kyo would not have his services without the private room.
"It is too much. I can still get better in another room. You shouldn't have to pay for this. Any of it. I can do something, I think." Kyo would make this sacrifice, he had to.
Yuki watched him finger the picture. Nijan had become an important part of Kyo's recovery. It was him that had caused Yuki to try to keep Kyo here. Kyo needed the man to get well, and Yuki would be willing to pay for that. No matter how difficult it would be. Yuki wanted Kyo to understand that he didn't need to make anymore concessions.
They would manage.
"NO. I want you to have this. You need it and without it you won't be able to get well as soon, then the bill would just be for as much, in length. This is better. Okay?"
Kyo looked up and seeing the determination in his cousins eyes, he merely nodded. "The problem is, I won't be able to come as early, cause I have to work in the mornings.
I can still be here at ten and stay for lunch and then I don't have classes until around two. So we could spend some time together, Haru will come in the evenings. He works after school just a few blocks from here. He said he will have dinner with you. I told him not to harrass you about eating, and he agreed. How does that sound?"
Kyo looked at his hands a moment, then at the scattered things on his bed. "You will still visit me? Even though you have to work, and go to school. I just don't know what to say."
"Just say, that you will beat me at cards everytime I come to visit, then I'll know that I'm really talking to Kyo." The cat smiled and nodded.
"You really suck at this game, too."