"I gave her a sedative so she's resting now, but she's been through a lot. I don't know how resilient she will be at this point", Hatori reported sadly to Shigure, "Only time will tell". He had just closed Tohru's door behind him. Haru had managed to get her back to the house, but she had been inconsolable so Hatori had been called. "I don't know either", Shigure said sadly. "Ichiro is everything to her". His comment belied his own attachment to the infant. "It's not like Akito to go back on her word", Shigure added, "what happened Haru?". "I'm not sure", Haru said shaking his head. "It was like Tohru held the trump card where Yuki was concerned because she had the baby. There was no way Akito was going to lose to her". The three of them contemplated that thought for a short while in silence. "Well, call me if you need anything", Hatori finally said, and he headed for the door. "Can I catch a ride?", Haru asked as they went down the stairs, "It's raining". The two of them saw themselves out. Shigure glanced at Tohru's closed door and sighed. He started to go to the stairs, but paused outside the door of the nursery. He flipped the light on and stared at the empty crib. "Akito, what have you done", he said softly, then he turned out the light and closed the door.
"What is he crying about?", Akito snapped. Ichiro wailed at the top of his lungs while Yuki walked the floor of the common room with him. It was 11pm. "His tummy hurts", Yuki said crossly. "He's gone from mother's milk to formula cold turkey". He bounced Ichiro up and down, patting him and making shushing sounds in an effort to comfort the wailing child. Akito sat up on her couch and discarded the book she was reading. "She nursed him?", she said incredulously. "Why would she want to do a disgusting thing like that?" She made a face as she spoke. "Because she's a good mother", Yuki shot back in Tohru's defense. He wasn't in the mood to pull his punches. Ichiro's wails crescendoed. "Tomorrow we are hiring a nanny", Akito announced bluntly. "Why should I pay someone to take care of my own son?", Yuki countered. They glared at each other. Finally Yuki shook his head and started towards the door. "Where are you going?", Akito snapped. "To my room", he said. "I'll rock him there". "Fine, but tomorrow we find a nanny", she insisted. Yuki shot her an angry look, and carried Ichiro out the door and down the hall.
"OK big guy", Yuki cooed, "There you go". He fastened the clean diaper, and picked Ichiro up to survey his work. The diaper sagged low on his bottom in a kind of lop-sided way. "Oh well", Yuki shrugged. Morning sunlight spilled in through the open windows. "Now let's see about some food shall we?" Ichiro waived his hands and stared pointedly at his father, as if trying to memorize his face. Yuki grinned and picked up the warmed bottle that was sitting on the breakfast tray. "Here you go buddy", he said softly, and he put the nipple to Ichiro's lips. The baby instinctively opened his mouth and latched on to it hungrily, but then made a bewildered face and his sucking slowed. "Yeah, I know", Yuki said sympathetically to his baby son, "Isn't much like the real thing, is it. Sorry", he added. "Hey", Haru stuck his head in the door way. "Hi Haru", Yuki smiled. Ichiro made a gulping sound. "How's he doing?" Haru asked with a grin. "We had a rough night, but I think he's OK now". Yuki glanced down and dabbed at some milk that dribbled down Ichiro's chin. "How's Tohru?", Yuki asked hesitantly. His face showed concern. Haru looked serious, "Hatori is going over there again this morning", Haru offered, "but she was hysterical yesterday". Yuki jostled the baby thoughtfully. "What have I done, Haru?", Yuki asked sadly as he looked down at his son. "What do you mean?", Haru said, perplexed. "It just seems like everyone my life touches gets hurt", Yuki continued, "what made me think this would be different?" His eyes glistened with the pain he felt for Tohru. Yuki shook his head and clenched his jaw as he remembered her screams for her baby as she was unceremoniously escorted out the day before. "What made me think I could ever be anything but Akito's plaything?" The disgust he felt about his own ineptness showed clearly on his face. "It'll all work out Yuki, you'll see", Haru tried to comfort him. "I don't know this time", Yuki confessed. "I don't know how to get out of this". He looked seriously at Haru. "Maybe it's something simple- maybe you're over looking it", Haru admonished.
"Hmm, that's odd", Shigure said to himself. He had entered the kitchen and expected Tohru to be about getting breakfast. He couldn't hear any sound of life anywhere in the house, and the void of sound left him feeling apprehensive. "Tohru?", he called up the stairs. There was no answer. He went up the stairs and knocked lightly on her door, "Tohru?" Still no answer came, so he quietly opened it and peeked inside. There sat Tohru in a chair facing the window that overlooked the front of the house. She was still in her nightclothes, hair uncombed. "Tohru", Shigure hesitated, "how are you feeling?" Tohru didn't look up at him but continued to stare out the window. "I spoke to Yuki", she said in kind of a dreamy sounding way. "Huh?", Shigure didn't remember hearing the phone ring. "He says he's bringing the baby back to me today". Shigure looked at her, wondering how this was possible. Tohru sat with an expectant expression, scanning the drive to the house. She possessed an eerie calm, and her face displayed a vacant stare. Shigure let out a sigh as he realized the truth, and he felt painfully sorry for her. She was obviously delusional. "That's fine Tohru", he said quietly, "you wait for Yuki. Meanwhile, I think I'll give Hatori a call". Shigure stopped at the doorway on his way out, and turned sadly to look at her one more time before he left the room.
"Thanks for coming Ha-san", Shigure said gratefully when Hatori arrived. "Sorry it took so long", Hatori apologized, "I had to take care of Akito's check up first". It was already one o'clock, and Tohru hadn't moved from her vigil by the window. When the two of them got to her room they were greeted by Ayame who had arrived about an hour earlier. "I didn't know you were here", Hatori said with his typical gruffness. "Yes", Ayame began, "I came to visit my new nephew, but alas, I found he is not here", he said this with remarkable calm as he finished braiding Tohru's hair. She did not look up or greet any of them, but continued to stare out the window. "Don't worry", she said calmly to Aya, "he will be here soon". She smiled dreamily as she gazed at the driveway. "Tohru, I brought you a few onigiri", Shigure offered, "you have to eat", he insisted gently. "No", Tohru said firmly, "I'll eat with Yuki when he gets here". The three men exchanged concerned looks. Hatori slipped a blood pressure cuff on Tohru's arm, and Shigure turned to go. "Then I'll get some tea for you", he offered, trying to think how he could tempt her into eating. Aya continued the vigil with Tohru into the evening, never leaving her side, and ended up staying the night. Hatori returned to the Sohma estate after having given her another sedative. He was grave with concern for her well being. "Perhaps we Sohmas finally have pushed poor Tohru beyond her capacity", he said sadly to himself as he set his stethoscope down in his office.