Two in One - Chapter 003
I do not own Love Hina.
No characters in this story are real. Any character not readily recognizable from LH belongs to me and can be used if my permission is gotten first.
This story is set at the end of Vol. 14 before the wedding.
9:42 am
February 13, 2004
New York City
United States
Sir, are you a family member of Mr. Urashima?" asked a person that looked like a doctor to Seta.
Seta smiled at this, "I would guess I am, I am married to his aunt," he said. Then wondered at that being the first thing he had had to smile at, in several days.
José looked up from his despair as some one spoke to Seta in a while. They both had been sitting here in a private waiting room near the surgery suits since Keitaro had been wheeled in last evening. He got up and walked over so that he could hear what was happening to his friend.
The doctor looked at both of them, seeing the look of worry and dread on their faces. He drew in a breath, steeling himself to tell them the new. "Sir, Mr. Urashima is out of surgery. He is being placed in the intensive care unit at this time."
"How is he doctor?" asked Seta, with a look of hope on his face.
"I do not want to get your hopes up, so I will give it to you straight. The bullet that went through his head destroyed a portion of his brain and severed his spinal column. The wonder is that he is still alive, but I cannot really say that he is really living. His brain is still showing that it is working; it appears that he can see and hear what is going on around him. However, he cannot breathe on his own and his heart will not beat. Therefore, we have him on machines to do that for him. It appears that he has no feeling or ability to control anything below his neck since that portion of the brain damaged is the part that controls all that."
"Also, he was hit by three other slugs. His left shin has been shattered. A glancing blow has fractured his hip and his intestines were damaged. His right shoulder and collarbone was shattered by another slug. Then the worst you already know, a slug hit above his right eye angled back through the brain and hit the spinal cord before exiting the back of the neck.
At these words, both Seta and José sat down hard, looking at each other with dread and despair. Wondering what was to happen next, Seta dreading having to give this news to the others in Japan. "Is there nothing that can be done for him?" asked Seta.
"I will not give you any false hope, as it stands right now, he would be dead without the machines breathing and pulsing his blood for him. I will check to see if there is anyone working on any projects that may relate. I seem to remember something along the lines I will have to check. However, do not get your hopes up, in situations like this accept the worst, and be grateful for what does happen," the doctor said grimly.
"Thank you for the truth doctor, that is what we really need right now, not some flimsy platitudes that would only end up hurting us in the end." This came from José, who looked to the doctor with respect, but still gripped with the hurt of maybe loosing his friend.
Seta looked up to the doctor with visible pain, "Thank you doctor also, it is what we need to hear right now. Now I must make a phone call again and let a few ladies know of what has transpired." I am really not looking forward to do this again, he thought.
Seta moved over to the phone in the corner, hesitant to pick it up. No, I will wait; it is the middle of the night there. Later will be ok, Seta thought as exhaustion and worry took him it to a nightmare realm of slumber, where there was no comfort yet.
6:00 am
February 14, 2004
Hinata House
Hinata Japan
Haruka slowly came awake, seeing that another comfortless night had passed. Some comfort was available, with every minute that passes, meaning that Keitaro was still alive.
She started to come fully awake, hearing the almost inaudible sound of movement in the kitchen. She moved to sit up on the couch where she had fallen asleep the night before. Someone had again covered her with a blanket after she had fallen to sleep.
She got up, turning to go into the kitchen to see what Shinobu had made for this morning, when...
Ring ring.
The phone sounded behind her. With a mixture of dread and hope, she moved to the phone in the entryway. Hesitating before picking it up, her hand only inches away from the phone in the cradle, allowing it to ring several more times. Picking up the phone, holding it as if it were a snake about to bite her, reluctantly bring it to her ear, she finally spoke, "Hinata House..., may I help you?"
For a few seconds, there was silence on the phone. "Haruka," a voice sounded, weary with pain and longing.
"Seta, are you all right, is Keitaro better?" she asked in a rapid-fire voice, hoping that it is true.
Silence again for what seemed an eternity. "Haruka, they have finally stabilized Keitaro."
"That's great, when can both of you come home, when can we see you?" shed asked in a happier voice.
Around her, the other ladies of the house had heard the phone ring and had gravitated toward the entryway where Haruka and the phone were. Even the younger-new members of the house had come to see what was going on. They had seen over the last two days the pain and suffering the older members of the house were going through due to what was happening to the manager over in America. Several of the new girls did not even know him, but had heard of him through conversations with the other members of the house.
Hearing the surge in hope in her voice, all of them started to perk up finally.
"Ah Haruka, he is not doing that good, I do not know when we can come home, or if he will ever be able to," Seta said in a heart rending voice.
At hearing the sound of what he said and how he said it, deflated all her hopes. Those around her upon seeing how she reacted were brought back down to earth rather badly. Now they started to dread what would be said next.
Seta went on to tell Haruka what the doctor had said to him the night before, but he left out what the doctor had said about there being a rumor of something that possible could help Keitaro, not wanting to get their hopes up.
Haruka slowly dropped into the chair next to the phone, a look of horror and pain capturing her face and body, as Seta told her of Keitaro's condition. After Seta told her that he would call with any more news when he got it himself, they said their goodbyes and disconnected the phone.
Haruka sat there in shock for what seemed hours, though it was only a few minutes, as what she had heard sunk in. The ladies and girls around her tried to get her to talk and loosen up. They wanted to know what was going on, the emotions that were capturing her were affecting everyone. They were being drawn down into a morass of despair thinking that the worst had happening and they had lost him, not knowing that what had really happened maybe even worse.
Haruka finally came out of her daze. Seeing that everyone was looking to her, wanting to know what was going on. "Ok all of you, lets go and sit down and I will tell you what Seta just told me about Keitaro."
They all slowly moved into the living room and found seats. "Kitsune, could I bother you to bring me a drink, I really need one right now," Haruka asked.
Kitsune reached behind the couch to where she kept some of her emergency stash, even though she did not drink as much as she used to. It was still habit for her to have a drink readily available when she or some one else might need it. She passed the bottle and a small glass from the end table over to Haruka.
Haruka then did something totally out of character for her; she opened the bottle of sake and tipped the bottle up taking several large swallows. Everyone just looked at the normally reserved woman in shock, then knowing that what she had already found out this morning was not good news.
Haruka capped and set down the bottle, not even shuddering at how much alcohol she had just downed. "Alright everyone, Seta just told me of Keitaro's condition."
Everyone perked up and gave her their full attention, as if she had not had it already since she had been on the phone.
"Keitaro is out of surgery and in an intensive care unit now. He is not dead, but he is not really alive either. He was shot four times, one of which hit him in the head."
At saying that, everyone essentially went into shock, several to the point of crying and wailing. Naru and Shinobu taking it the worst, they were crying into their hands, thinking the worst had happened, that they had lost the man they loved. Motoko and Kitsune sat up straight in their seats, very silent trying to hold in what they were feeling.
"But that is not the worst. The hit to his head damaged his brain and severed his spinal cord."
The feelings of despair in the room were getting worst. You could actually feel it in the room. The crying was getting worse, the ladies were holding on to each other, trying to get comfort from each other. Even Motoko was starting to breakdown at the emotions she was feeling. Mutsumi was swooning and about to collapse.
"It appears that the remaining portion of his brain is still active, but it can not control any portion of his body below the neck. So they have him on a mechanical respirator and heart pump." She said this last almost at a whisper. Not wanting to think she could still loose him after everything that he and they had gone through.
This same thought was going through all the older ladies heads. They had all come to love him after what they had gone through. He had over come so much over the last few years and one way of another stolen the heart of all of them, several of them more so than others.
"So, that is all I have. The best we can do right now is gone on with our day to day lives and pray for the best," Haruka said, trying to sound like she even believed what she was saying.
Suu perked up and looked around, "I could build him a mecha body so that he can move around and be himself," she said with earnest belief.
"I just want to be with him," came a low voice filled with heart wrenching pain from Naru. "I just want to be there for him."
Kitsune started up at the thought, "Yea, why don't we."
Motoko looked at her in wonder, "What do you mean?"
"Let's go there and be with him," Kitsune said with hope starting to fill her voice.
Naru looked up in wonder and hope at what she was hearing.
Haruka looked around her in shock not believing what she was hearing. "Ladies, this is not like the jaunts you have taken before, it isn't like flying off to Pararakelse. You are talking of going to New York in America. It will take millions of yen each for just the tickets, not to mention money for living expenses when we get there."
Suu smiled at this, "I can get us there."
Everyone looked at her in shock and horror. Most saying at the same time, "NO way are were riding in one of your Mecha there!
Suu drew back at this, shacking her head and waving her hands in the negative. "No, I meant I cold call father and have him send us a plane. Also for a place to stay when we get there, my family has several rooms permently leased in a hotel there as a small embassy."
This brought everyone to a silent stop. Then it was just pandemonium as everyone started talking at once, running from the room to start packing. Suu got on the phone to call her father. Haruka was even in a better mood.
The younger Ladies of the house were dumbfounded by what they were seeing, they had not been around in the past when a rescue mission/trip had ever been mounted. Haruka finally stopped and looked to the younger crowd. "We are all going to see Keitaro, you little ones take care of everything here, including the Café," She said. Luckly the girls were old enough to take care of them selves.
Just a few hours later, Haruka, Naru, Motoko, Shinobu, Kitsune, Mutsumi, Kanako, and Sara were at the airport boarding a private jet for the trip to America.