Disclaimer: *sigh* I wish I could own Digimon…
Note: ok, for people who don't know, Joe (Jyou) Kido has two brothers. There's Jim, the one you see in the first series, who's becoming a doctor and going overseas (I think =P), then there's the one in 02 who owns that cute Volkswagen Beetle, who is not Jim, but Schuu, Joe's eldest brother. Oh well…
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"Tai!"
I kick off my shoes and run towards the living room.
"Tai! Tai! Where are you?" I look around, my mind overflowing with happiness. I can't believe it! Matt's alive! Everything's gonna be ok! Excitement courses through me.
"Anybody home?" Sora calls as she walks in behind me. I look out onto the balcony. I see Joe leaning on the barrier. Tai's not there.
"I'll go check the bedroom," I say to Sora as she walks towards the sliding door. I jog to the bedroom and knock on the door.
"Tai?" I ask as I turn the doorhandle. I peep inside. Nobody there. My happiness begins to ebb away as worry sets in. I walk to the bathroom.
"Tai? Are you in there?" I call as I press my ear against the door. I hear water running. I slowly push open the door, and find Tai.
"Oh Tai," I sigh sadly as I kneel next to him. He's sitting in the bathtub, fully dressed, with the shower running water onto his head. Water occasionally laps over the sides. I turn off the water.
"C'mon Tai," I say gently, rubbing his shoulder, "let's get you out." Tai sighs and looks to me.
"What's the point?" he replies, before sliding down into a lying position underneath the water. Water flows over the edge onto my legs.
"Because," I grab Tai's shirt and wrench him out of the water, "Matt's alive, Tai. He's alive." Tai looks at me, his eyes searching for the truth.
"What?" he asks, disbelievingly.
"Matt is alive," I repeat clearly. "I saw him in the emergency ward. Sora was there too, if you don't believe me." Tai sat up, breathing heavily.
"He's…he's…alive…?" Tai breathes, uncertainty evident in his voice.
"Yes," I smile. "He's alive Tai." Tai stares at me pleadingly.
"Are you…" he begins, but I place a finger on his lips to silence him.
"Shhh, no more. Let's get you outta here and dry." I place his left arm across my shoulders, and stand up. More water washes onto the floor as he steps out of the bath. I grab a towel and wrap it around him. Tai shivers. We walk out the door onto the sopping wet carpet. Sora jogs towards us.
"Is he ok?" she asks, peering at him anxiously. Tai gently shakes his head, spraying water everywhere.
"Yeh, he's fine," I reply, wringing water from his drenched hair. "All we need is more towels." I walk to our laundry and grab some towels. We begin to dry off Tai.
"So how's T.K?" Joe asks as he gently dabs at Tai's bandaged arm.
"He woke up," I answer, as I rub Tai's hair with a towel in an attempt to dry it. "He's getting better." A warm feeling settles in my heart.
"That's great news," Joe replies, a tone of happiness echoing merrily in his voice. Sora smiles. My thoughts wander back to T.K. I was the first person he wanted when he woke! He's finally conscious, and he's gonna be fine! And Matt's alive! Tai won't be so depressed anymore, and Sora won't have to be so worried. Today is a beautiful day…
A sharp intake of breath interrupts my thoughts. I look to Joe, who is holding Tai's bandaged arm. A red stain runs along the entire length of the bandage.
"The wound's reopened," Joe states, peering closer at the blood. The colour darkens.
"I'll grab some bandages," Sora says, turning and walking briskly to the bathroom. Joe leads Tai to the kitchen table and helps him to sit down. I walk over to them, and sit on Tai's left side. Joe begins to unwrap the bandages. My heart tightens as the bloodstain gets bigger and bigger with every layer. Sora returns with the bag of bandages and kneels next to Joe. Her face whitens at the sight of the blood.
"Are you ok Tai?" Sora asks, obviously thinking the same as me. Is he in terrible pain? Tai doesn't answer, continuing to stare blankly at his arm. Joe reaches the final layer, and blood runs down Tai's arm onto his shorts. Joe pulls the remaining blood-soaked layer off his arm, and furrows his brow. I gasp as Sora covers her mouth. The wound is deeper than first thought, and almost the whole thing is open and bleeding. Tai begins to sway.
"Sora, I need-" Joe begins, but Sora nods and jumps up. She runs to the bathroom, returning with a wet towel. I hold Tai's hand. Joe begins to softly wipe away the blood. Tai winces with every touch. I start to feel queasy as I watch blood reappear along Tai's arm.
"I need your help Sora," Joe asks, still concentrating on Tai's arm, "Can you please continue wiping away the blood while I begin to bandage it? The blood's coming too fast, and I can't bandage at the same time." Sora nods, and takes the towel off Joe. Joe forages through the bag, before pulling out one of the larger bandages. Tai screams in pain as Joe places the bandage on his arm. Blood flows from his wound. I kneel on my chair and wrap my arms around Tai, resting my head in his hair.
"Shhh… it's ok Tai, don't worry…" I whisper soothingly. I gently rub his shoulder as he winces in pain. His breathing becomes heavy as more blood surfaces.
"He's stressing out," Joe mumbles quietly. "He's losing a lot of blood. Calm down Tai! It's ok! Just a little longer!" Joe quickens his pace. Tai moans as the cool bandage covers his arm. As Joe finishes the first layer, Sora stands up and walks into the kitchen. I continue to watch Joe's bloodstained hands wrap the rest of the bandage around Tai's arm. Tai winces as Joe carefully clips the bandage in place.
"Done," Joe breathes, exhaling deeply. I sit back down on my chair, and lean my head against Tai's shoulder. Sora returns, and peers at Tai.
"Tai? Are you ok?" Sora asks, placing a finger under his chin and lifting his head to face hers. Tai moans softly, before closing his eyes. I sit up and look at Tai.
"Tai? Can you hear me?" Sora persists; worry quavering in her voice. Tai doesn't answer.
"We need to get him to a doctor," Joe calls from the kitchen, where he's washing the blood off his hands. "He's lost quite a bit of blood, and that wound isn't shallow. He's dizzy, and I don't think he's up to walking, so I'll call my brother to give us a lift in his car to the hospital." I nod, rubbing Tai's shoulder methodically. "But until he comes, we'll just lie Tai on the couch and keep him comfortable." Sora nods.
"C'mon Tai," I say as Sora and I help him up. We slowly make our way to the couch, and lie Tai down. I grab a cushion and place it under Tai's injured arm. Tai flinches at the contact.
"It's ok Tai, don't worry," I soothe, as I move his damp fringe off his face. I sit on the floor near Tai's head as he begins to fall asleep. I hear Joe dial a number on the phone.
"Hello, this is Schuu."
"Hey buggie, it's Joe."
"Hey Joe! How are you?"
"I'm good thanks, how 'bout you?"
"I'm fine thanks. What's up?"
"Where are you?"
"I'm at home, why?"
"Can you come 'round to Tai's place? We need your help."
"Yeh sure. What's wrong?"
"Tai's got a deep cut running along his right arm, and it's bleeding rather profusely. We need to take him to the hospital, but he's dizzy- so I don't think it's a good idea to take him on the bus. Do you think you could come 'round and give us a lift to the hospital?"
"Yeh sure. I'll be 'round there soon."
"Thanks buggie."
"Ha ha. No prob. See ya!"
"Bye."
Joe hung up the phone.
"He'll be here soon," Joe says as he walks over to us. I sigh wearily. One minute everything seems to be going perfectly, next minute someone's bleeding to death. I rest my forehead in my hands. It feels warm. Oh great, just what I need. Another fever. I scowl darkly. Why do I always have to screw everything up? Just when Tai needs me, I get sick. I close my eyes and sigh in defeat. Why me?
"Are you ok, Kari?" Sora asks, interrupting my thoughts. I open my eyes and turn to her.
"Yeh," I answer wearily, "just tired, I guess." Sora gives me a small smile.
"Don't worry," Sora adds, "everything'll be fine."
Will it?
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oh, my poor Taichi! *hugs tai tightly* luv ya baby!!! =)
Next chapter up soon!!! =)