Chapter 2: Hospitalized
"Yeah….No, he's not any better nor is he getting any better," There was silence for a while. "Yeah, I hear you. I was planning on taking him to the doctors today, anyway," More silence. "Yeah, of course I'll call you…Would you mind telling everyone else for me?" Silence. "Thanks, Mina…Mhm…Ja."
Usagi heaved a sigh and set Mamoru's phone down, walking out of his room and back out to the living room to find Mamoru sleeping on his couch. She walked over to him and got a blanket, covering him up somewhat. She looked down at him and bit her lip, hoping he'd be okay. His fever had risen back to 104 and he only seemed to be getting weaker and he rarely wanted to eat anymore. Plus, he was having more of the dreams, which was completely oblivious to Usagi since he hadn't told her yet.
She walked back into his room and sat down on his bed, picking the phone up from the receiver, dialing the doctor's office. "Konnichiwa, this is Tsukino Usagi…" She greeted the nurse and waited for their reply. "Yes, I was wondering if I could schedule an appointment sometime soon…?" she said in a question tone. "Well, his fever hasn't lowered after 3 days, he won't eat, he's very weak and never really….here," she said and waited once more. "Preferably today, please." She waited for a bit more. "Today at 3:15? That'd be fine. Arigatou. Ja Ne." She hung up the phone and glanced at the clock. 10:43 AM. She had a while before she would take Mamoru to the doctors.
She stood up, stretching some and yawned. Since Mamoru was sleeping, she decided to take a shower. She had been staying here ever since she came over that first night, tending to Mamoru as much as possible with school and all. She grabbed some clothes before checking up on Mamoru once more and then headed to the bathroom. She walked in and shut the door. She set her clothes down and turned on the water, knowing it took a while to heat up. She began to strip of her clothes and once she had done that, stuck a few fingers in the water. Perfect…
She stepped in and sighed relaxingly as she cleansed herself and her hair.
"Yup…Yeah, she told me she'd call me with any updates…Of course I'll call you. Mkay, yeah…Ja, Ami," Mina hung up the phone and set the phone on her bed. She looked over to Artemis who was stretching and she scratched his ears. "Well, time to call Rei…" Mina said with a small shrug and picked up the phone but only held it in her lap.
Artemis padded up to her and looked up to her, "Has Mamoru ever gotten this sick?" he asked the girl curiously, sitting right beside her.
"Not since we've been friends," Mina stated with another shrug. "It worries me, though…"she said and bit her lip some. "I just hope he'll be okay," she said and then began to dial Rei's number. She put the phone up to her ear and listened to it ring, curling the cord around her fingers.
"Konnichiwa?" came Rei's voice from the other line which sounded rather tired and Mina could make out a yawn.
Mina blinked some, "Konnichiwa, Rei. It's Mina…I've got some news to tell you," she said through the receiver and leaned against the wall, gazing up at the ceiling. Rei asked what it was and Mina replied, "It's Mamoru. He's gotten worse. His fever's gone up to 104 and he won't eat or anything. Usagi's taking him to the doctors today," Mina gave a small nod.
Rei's face fell at hearing this. "Wow…I hope he'll be alright," she said quietly. "Call me if you hear anything else." She informed her friend. "Thanks. I'll talk to you later, Mina. Ja." Rei hung up her phone and stared at the phone for a moment, before walking outside. She grabbed a broom as she walked outside and began to sweep, many thoughts swarming around her. She had more premonitions and they weren't getting any better. In fact, they were getting worse.
She had been seeing the past a lot now. To be more specific with the word 'past' she had been visualizing the time when Mamoru had gotten possessed. If she had known Mamoru was having dreams about this as well, she'd be especially worried but right now, she just figured it may be because he was so sick. But if anymore happened…She'd definitely tell everyone else. But for now, she figured she shouldn't worry them anymore than they already were. So she kept on sweeping, trying to figure it all out.
Meanwhile, Usagi had gotten out of the shower and dried herself off, looking into the mirror. She shook her head a bit and began to get dressed. When she was dressed, she picked up her brush and began to run it through her long, cascading golden locks. When that was over with, she hung up the towels and opened the bathroom door, exiting. She walked down the hall and out to living room to find that Mamoru wasn't there.
She began to panic slightly and ran into the kitchen, sighing in relief when she saw him leaning against the counter, sipping a glass of ice-cold water. She smiled a little and walked up to him. "How are you feeling?" she asked worriedly and looked up into his ocean-blue eyes.
He returned her gaze and set down the water, weakly. "Not good," he admitted honestly and placed his hand on her cheek, smiling only a little, struggling just to do that.
Seeing him struggle, pained the girl as she reached her hand up to rest on his hand. He was still burning up. "You should go lie down…I've schedule a doctor's appointment for you at 3:15, so we should leave around 3," she said softly to him and took his hand in hers, leading him back to the living room.
He grabbed his water before he had begun to walk with her and drank some more. He couldn't argue with her because he had no reason to argue and no strength. When they stopped by the couch he set his water down and then sat down. He stretched weakly and then laid down, looking up at her. "Arigatou," he said and coughed a little.
She shook her head at him and covered him up with a blanket. "No need to thank me, Mamo-chan," she said with a smile and nodded to him. "You should get some more sleep before we have to leave," she said and nodded once more.
"What will you do in the meantime?" he asked her, furrowing his brow at her.
"Homework, maybe…I'm not really sure, actually," she said thoughtfully and let out a small laugh to him.
He blinked in confusement, "Homework? You?" he mused and nodded to her as he closed his eyes. She rolled her eyes some and then walked over to a chair which had her bag leaning up against it. She sat down and pulled the bag onto her lap, going through it now.
As he fell asleep, he thought about how thankful he was to have her and everyone else. And before he knew it, he was asleep again, only to return to the dream…But this time it wasn't as bad as before. He was watching events from the past happen again. But now it was the ending…Usagi was getting him back. He would soon lose his memory but at least he'd be with Usagi and everyone again, even if he didn't remember them.
Usagi looked up worriedly and set her stuff down, scrambling over to him. Beads of sweat poured down his features and he grunted some, gripping the thin blanket tightly so that his knuckles had been turning white. "Mamo-chan!" she exclaimed worriedly and shook him gently. "Mamo-chan, wake up!" she said and shook him a bit more.
Usagi? Is that you? He groaned some as his fingers began to release the blankets and he slowly opened his eyes to see Usagi's face looking down upon him. He gazed at her for a while before sucking in a shaky breath and then slowly releasing it. "Usagi?" he questioned.
"Mamo-chan…Are you alright?" she asked worriedly and kneeled beside the couch now, brushing some of his raven hair out of his gaze softly and slowly. She grew very worried about him now and clasped his left hand with her free hand.
He nodded some, "Hai…Just another n-nightmare," he breathed to her. She would understand because he has told her about the nightmares, just not what they were about because he didn't want to worry her more than she already was.
She glanced at the clock and heaved a sigh, nodding some. "Alright…If you say so. Anyway, you should get dressed…We need to leave soon," she said quietly, the clock reading 2:46 PM. She helped him get up and helped him to his room so he could dress. Waiting outside, she bit her lip once more and chewed on it some. A while later, he came out and she and him walked back out to the living room. The clock now read 2:52 PM. "Are you sure you're okay to drive?"
He nodded to her, "Yes, I'm sure…Driving might be good," he said with a small smile to her. She nodded slowly and then they exited and walked out and to his car. She had her arm wrapped around his waist and they walked slowly, Mamoru feeling even weaker as they walked. He doesn't have a lot of strength. He has none..., Usagi thought worriedly as they came up to the red sport car. They walked to the driver's side and Mamoru got in. Usagi walked over to the passenger side and climbed in. And off they went…
The drive was quite, not many words were exchanged. At around 3:13 PM, they arrived in the parking lot and Mamoru, luckily, found a spot somewhat close to the office. Usagi had gotten out first and walked over to Mamoru, only to find him getting out on his own. As he closed the door, she wrapped an arm around his waist yet again and the two of them began to the office.
Once inside, Usagi had Mamoru sit down while she went to talk to the nurse stationed at the front desk. The walls were white and there were many chairs around the waiting room. A rough color of burgundy and not the most comfortable in the world. The carpet was a bluish color and didn't look all too comfortable either. There were some tables, too, with various magazine scattered across the surface.
"Uh, yes, I scheduled an appointment for Chiba Mamoru," Usagi said to the nurse anxiously. The nurse nodded to her and typed something into the computer, clicking the mouse a few times. The nurse nodded to Usagi and spoke.
"Yes, it's scheduled. You are scheduled to meet Dr. Mikaro at 3:15 PM. Please have a seat and he should be with you shortly," the nurse nodded once more and then continued with her work. Usagi thanked her and then turned around and walked over to Mamoru, sitting beside him. He glanced over at her and placed his hand on hers, which were resting on her thighs. She shot him a smile and leaned against him, happy these chairs didn't have arm rests.
They waited for a bit and finally at 3:27 PM, the doctor came out, calling, "Chiba Mamoru," The doctor looked as if he was in his early thirties, with a stubble of a beard, and dark hair atop his head, stopping sharply at the base of his neck. His hair was parted in front of his forehead and to each side, his dark eyes scanning the room to find Chiba Mamoru. His face had a rough texture but a kindness and softness to it as well.
Mamoru looked down to Usagi and they both stood up, walking to him. He nodded to them, smiling some, and led them down to the hall and to the back. They stopped a few times to check Mamoru's weight and height. He had lost some weight. They then walked into the room and Mikaro shut the door. "You're Chiba Mamoru?" he asked, looking to Mamoru, who was sitting on the examining table while Usagi sat on a chair in the corner.
Mamoru nodded simply. "Okay. And tell me what exactly is it that's wrong," the doctor said kindly, glancing to Usagi momentarily.
Usagi looked to Mamoru, realizing he was too weak to explain. She perked up and sat up straight. "He's had a fever for three days now and it hasn't gone down. His appetite seems to have vanished and he's been very weak." She said to Mikaro, hoping that her explanation was good enough.
Mikaro had looked to her when she began and nodded a few times. "Right, well…Let's test your blood pressure," he said and grabbed the tool, wrapping the rough fabric around Mamoru's left bicep/tricep, fastening it. He held the pump in his hand and began to squeeze, until it tightened profusely. Mikaro had been watching the meter and nodded a bit as he removed it.
"Okay, take off your shirt, please," Mikaro said and grabbed his stethoscope. Mamoru obliged and slipped his shirt off of himself and held it in his lap. "Now, sit up straight and take deep breaths for me." He said as he pressed the cold, metal up against Mamoru's chest. Mamoru found it difficult to continuously do this and after about 6 breaths, he gave up.
Mikaro glanced over him for a moment before informing him that he could put his shirt back on. Mikaro then checked his temp; 104 still. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll be right back," he said with a small nod and left the room, shutting the door on his way out.
Usagi jumped up quickly and walked over to the table, standing in front of her boyfriend, staring into his eyes worriedly. "I saw that you had trouble breathing…I hope it's nothing serious," she said with an even more worried tone. Mamoru reassured her and they started to talk about happier things until about 10 minutes later, Mikaro returned.
He sighed heavily and glanced at his clipboard before looking at the two of them, Usagi now standing beside Mamoru. "I've got some bad news. Your blood pressure has risen, you've lost some weight, you've got a case of asthma, and as you already know, your fever isn't dropping, and…This is all beyond me. You'll need to go to the hospital, at least," he said in a sad tone. Usagi's eyes widened at hearing this and her grip on Mamoru's hand tightened greatly. "I've called an ambulance and they should be here soon. If you'll please go back to the waiting room, they will come pick you up. Best of luck to you," he said before exiting.
They were both silent for a while, "Mamoru…" Usagi said breathlessly and looked up at him, tears brimming her eyes.
He shook his head some at her, "Don't worry…I'll be fine. Better do what he says," Mamoru said and slowly got off the table as he and Usagi walked back to the waiting room. Despite what he had said, Usagi would worry. A lot. They didn't have to wait very long; About 5 minutes later, they were picked up. They loaded Mamoru onto a stretcher and placed him in the back with a surgeon type person and Usagi sitting behind him, one driver, and one person in the passenger seat.
They had questioned Usagi some before leaving and told her he might be in the hospital for a few days. She grew even more worried at this and told herself that when she got the time, she'd call everyone and have them meet her at the hospital. But not yet…Mamoru needed her right now.
Kiaya: It may seem boring right now, and hey, it is, but it'll get better as it goes along. Hopefully by the next chapter. Sorry I hadn't updated this for a while. I hope you all like it, though.