Chapter Two: Bad News
Ranma walked inside the hospital room, gazing over at Akane's still unconscious body. Three nurses stood beside her bed, along with Nabiki, Kasumi, Genma, Soun, and Happosai.
"Nurse, how is she?" Ranma asked one of them. The nurse looked sympathetically at him, then turned away.
"I am afraid that the Doctor should be the one to tell you." With that, the nurses walked out of the door.
"But," Ranma began, but gave up. He turned to his family members. "What do you guys know?"
"Ahh... Ranma..." Genma began. "Akane... she..." Ranma rushed over towards him and grasped the collar of his shirt, shaking it back and forth.
"C'mon Pop! Spit it out! Is Akane gonna be okay!?" Ranma was starting to think that Akane might not be all right. "Well?"
"Oh... Ranma..." Kasumi sighed, and held her face in her hands. She began sobbing. Nabiki turned away to glance through the window. She didn't say anything.
"You guys aren't acting like yourselves. This isn't normal." Ranma backed away from them all. That's when the doctor came inside the room. Ranma turned to face him.
"You must be this young girls fiancé. Hello, I'm Doctor Ai." The man held out his hand to Ranma to greet him. Ranma, being confused and hurt, didn't accept his handshake. "Look son, the girl... she..."
"Will someone just tell me what's going on here!?" Ranma shouted. Doctor Ai's expression grew serious and he placed his hands on Ranma's shoulders. "What?"
"The girl may not make it." A shocked look filled in Ranma's eyes as tears rolled down the side of his cheeks. "Do you understand?"
"Of course I understand! I just... Akane can't..." With that, Ranma walked over towards Akane's bed. He kneeled down beside it, gazing at her beautiful features. "Akane can't just leave me." The members in the room gave each other knowing glances before they left Ranma alone in the room with Akane.
Ranma reached up to touch her cheek softly. Her skin was bruised and scratched badly, and her hair tangled in caked dirt. The more he studied her look, the faster and stronger the tears came. He looked away from her, not wanting the pain of the stinging water to continue. That's when he felt another hand pressed to his on her cheek. He turned back to her to see her smiling, grasping his hand.
"Akane, you're..." He began. Akane sighed and locked her eyes with his.
"Ranma. What happened? All I remember is you holding me in your arms, crying." She stated. Ranma searched desperately in her eyes. He couldn't tell her that she might die.
"Ahh... you were hit by that car, and then I carried you here, to the hospital." He told her.
"Oh." Akane looked away from his gaze, peering over at the window. "Will I be okay?" She asked him, still peering out the window. A look of sadness filled in his eyes.
"Umm... we don't know yet." He told her. She looked back at him.
"What's wrong with me?" Akane asked him. Ranma searched the room for any clues, when he found a clipboard with a piece of paper beside him lying on a stool. He reached out and took it in his hand, desperately reading through the notes.
"It says here that you have a few broken ribs and a concussion." He began. A look of pure shock came about his face as he read what it said next. 'Only seven days to live!?' He thought. 'What could be so terribly wrong with her that could make her die so soon!?' He continued to read it, not informing Akane of what it said. 'Misplaced structure of the bones!? Could collapse completely in a minimum amount of seven days!? Jesus, it's a miracle she's living right this moment!' He thought bitterly.
"What's the matter? Why do you look so distraught?" Akane's asked him.
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I'm just really angry with that car driver. He didn't even stop to apologize." He replied.
"Is that all?" she asked.
"Ahh... yeah." He lied. He just couldn't tell her that she could only live for another seven days at the minimum. He gave her a sorrowful look before he took her hand in his again at the edge of the hospital bed. "Akane... no matter what happens..." He began, but was interrupted when Genma stuck his head through the door of the room. "Pop?"
"Son. Come out here for a minute." Genma told him and gestured to come out through the door with a snap of his head. Ranma nodded and with one last glance at Akane, he followed his father out of the room.
"What pop?" Ranma asked his father once he was outside of the room, closing the door behind him.
"Look boy, Akane probably won't see another day after a week has past." Ranma looked away to the ground. Genma grasped his son's shoulders and shook him to look back at him. "Ranma, you fool! Tell her how you feel! Before it's too late. After a week, you'll never get another chance." Ranma blushed at the fact that his father mentioned how he felt about Akane.
"Pop, it isn't as easy as it seems. Believe me, I've tried telling her that I..." He clamped his hand over his mouth once he realized what he almost let slip.
"That you what, son, love the girl? Yeah, yeah, we all figured it out. It's not like no one had noticed." Genma smiled at his son's stupidity.
"Uhhh, pop!" Ranma started.
"Now, you tell Akane how you feel about her before the end of the week. I'm not forcing you to do it now. I know you'll know when the time is right. Just promise me you'll tell her before it's too late."
"Yes, pop." Ranma agreed. "I promise." Doctor Ai walked up to the two.
"The young girl will be able to go home after a few bandages and shots and whatnot. Probably tomorrow morning I presume." Doctor Ai reassured.
"That's great news, right, Ranma?" Genma asked his son with a strong pat on the back.
"Uhhh... yeah." Ranma sighed. 'Even if that's great news, it still doesn't mean she won't be alive by this time in seven days.' He thought sorrowfully.
Ranma walked inside the hospital room, gazing over at Akane's still unconscious body. Three nurses stood beside her bed, along with Nabiki, Kasumi, Genma, Soun, and Happosai.
"Nurse, how is she?" Ranma asked one of them. The nurse looked sympathetically at him, then turned away.
"I am afraid that the Doctor should be the one to tell you." With that, the nurses walked out of the door.
"But," Ranma began, but gave up. He turned to his family members. "What do you guys know?"
"Ahh... Ranma..." Genma began. "Akane... she..." Ranma rushed over towards him and grasped the collar of his shirt, shaking it back and forth.
"C'mon Pop! Spit it out! Is Akane gonna be okay!?" Ranma was starting to think that Akane might not be all right. "Well?"
"Oh... Ranma..." Kasumi sighed, and held her face in her hands. She began sobbing. Nabiki turned away to glance through the window. She didn't say anything.
"You guys aren't acting like yourselves. This isn't normal." Ranma backed away from them all. That's when the doctor came inside the room. Ranma turned to face him.
"You must be this young girls fiancé. Hello, I'm Doctor Ai." The man held out his hand to Ranma to greet him. Ranma, being confused and hurt, didn't accept his handshake. "Look son, the girl... she..."
"Will someone just tell me what's going on here!?" Ranma shouted. Doctor Ai's expression grew serious and he placed his hands on Ranma's shoulders. "What?"
"The girl may not make it." A shocked look filled in Ranma's eyes as tears rolled down the side of his cheeks. "Do you understand?"
"Of course I understand! I just... Akane can't..." With that, Ranma walked over towards Akane's bed. He kneeled down beside it, gazing at her beautiful features. "Akane can't just leave me." The members in the room gave each other knowing glances before they left Ranma alone in the room with Akane.
Ranma reached up to touch her cheek softly. Her skin was bruised and scratched badly, and her hair tangled in caked dirt. The more he studied her look, the faster and stronger the tears came. He looked away from her, not wanting the pain of the stinging water to continue. That's when he felt another hand pressed to his on her cheek. He turned back to her to see her smiling, grasping his hand.
"Akane, you're..." He began. Akane sighed and locked her eyes with his.
"Ranma. What happened? All I remember is you holding me in your arms, crying." She stated. Ranma searched desperately in her eyes. He couldn't tell her that she might die.
"Ahh... you were hit by that car, and then I carried you here, to the hospital." He told her.
"Oh." Akane looked away from his gaze, peering over at the window. "Will I be okay?" She asked him, still peering out the window. A look of sadness filled in his eyes.
"Umm... we don't know yet." He told her. She looked back at him.
"What's wrong with me?" Akane asked him. Ranma searched the room for any clues, when he found a clipboard with a piece of paper beside him lying on a stool. He reached out and took it in his hand, desperately reading through the notes.
"It says here that you have a few broken ribs and a concussion." He began. A look of pure shock came about his face as he read what it said next. 'Only seven days to live!?' He thought. 'What could be so terribly wrong with her that could make her die so soon!?' He continued to read it, not informing Akane of what it said. 'Misplaced structure of the bones!? Could collapse completely in a minimum amount of seven days!? Jesus, it's a miracle she's living right this moment!' He thought bitterly.
"What's the matter? Why do you look so distraught?" Akane's asked him.
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I'm just really angry with that car driver. He didn't even stop to apologize." He replied.
"Is that all?" she asked.
"Ahh... yeah." He lied. He just couldn't tell her that she could only live for another seven days at the minimum. He gave her a sorrowful look before he took her hand in his again at the edge of the hospital bed. "Akane... no matter what happens..." He began, but was interrupted when Genma stuck his head through the door of the room. "Pop?"
"Son. Come out here for a minute." Genma told him and gestured to come out through the door with a snap of his head. Ranma nodded and with one last glance at Akane, he followed his father out of the room.
"What pop?" Ranma asked his father once he was outside of the room, closing the door behind him.
"Look boy, Akane probably won't see another day after a week has past." Ranma looked away to the ground. Genma grasped his son's shoulders and shook him to look back at him. "Ranma, you fool! Tell her how you feel! Before it's too late. After a week, you'll never get another chance." Ranma blushed at the fact that his father mentioned how he felt about Akane.
"Pop, it isn't as easy as it seems. Believe me, I've tried telling her that I..." He clamped his hand over his mouth once he realized what he almost let slip.
"That you what, son, love the girl? Yeah, yeah, we all figured it out. It's not like no one had noticed." Genma smiled at his son's stupidity.
"Uhhh, pop!" Ranma started.
"Now, you tell Akane how you feel about her before the end of the week. I'm not forcing you to do it now. I know you'll know when the time is right. Just promise me you'll tell her before it's too late."
"Yes, pop." Ranma agreed. "I promise." Doctor Ai walked up to the two.
"The young girl will be able to go home after a few bandages and shots and whatnot. Probably tomorrow morning I presume." Doctor Ai reassured.
"That's great news, right, Ranma?" Genma asked his son with a strong pat on the back.
"Uhhh... yeah." Ranma sighed. 'Even if that's great news, it still doesn't mean she won't be alive by this time in seven days.' He thought sorrowfully.