Chapter 18
A/N: Time for a new chapter everyone! :)
Sorry (not ;) ) about the cliffhanger I ended the last chapter with. I hope you will all enjoy the coming chapters, as much as you have (hopefully) enjoyed those that have been published so far :D
It is because of all you readers, followers, favers and reviewers, that I can continue this story!
So, THANK YOU to every one of you! I hope you will stick with the story in the future as well! (^_^)
This is a short chapter, BUT, to make up for this, I promise that this time, I will update the story again in just a few days, so you won't have to wait a whole week ;)
Now, without further ado, Chapter 18! :D
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He opened his eyes slowly. His head hurt, and he felt sick. In truth, his whole body was aching, and he could feel that many of his muscles were twitching. Eyes half open, he glanced around him.
White. Everything was white.
He couldn't hear any voices, just a constant beeping and something that sounded like dripping.
"Yuma! Yuma, can you hear me?!".
A voice. Very familiar.
"To…ri" he mumbled, voice raw and hoarse. It hurt to speak, so dry did his mouth and throat feel. He could taste blood.
"Oh, thank God you're awake! Nurse! NURSE!" Tori yelled, and Yuma could hear that she was crying.
"Tori… where… am I?" he asked, turning his head just enough to see her, though the motion only served to worsen his nausea.
"Heartland Hospital. You're in a really bad state Yuma" she replied, but then she was pushed out of the way as a woman in a nurses' uniform entered his line of sight instead.
"Tsukumo, can you hear me?" she asked, leaning in over him. He nodded weakly.
"Yes" he replied.
"That is good. So, you are back with us again. I am certain your family will be relieved to hear that" she continued, as she started examining him and various things which he couldn't see.
"I'm gonna go outside and call them now. Let them know he's finally awake again. I'll be right back" he heard Tori say, and then he heard her footsteps as she left.
"Miss… thirsty" Yuma said hoarsely, and the nurse came back into view.
"Would you like some water?" she asked, and Yuma nodded. "Alright. I'll help you up then. But you mustn't move too much. You have serious internal injuries and they are still in danger of bleeding again" the nurse replied.
Then she slowly helped Yuma up into a semi-seated position, but before she could put the glass to his lips, vomit rose in his throat again and the nurse, sensing what was coming, quickly grabbed a bowl and held it out for him to use, completely professional, as he did so.
When it seemed like he was done for now, she offered him the water, which he used to rinse his mouth, then to spit out the water in the bowl as well. As he did, he noticed that his vomit was brown and that it even seemed to have some red in it as well, which immediately made him pale further, as cold-sweat sprang forth on his brow.
Putting the bowl away, the nurse offered Yuma the water again and despite just having thrown up, he emptied the rest of the glass before the nurse helped him lie down again.
Once he was relaxed once more, the nurse started taking his blood-pressure, as well as other things, as she spoke gently.
"I imagine you're feeling quite lost at the moment. About where you are, how you got here, why and for how long. I'd like to answer some of those questions, so that you don't have to think about them, but can focus on resting.
First of all, you're in the ICU of Heartland Hospital, in a solo room, due to the seriousness of your condition.
I am Tanima Yuri, but I prefer being called Tanima. I think you'll want to know my name, seeing as I'm assigned to you first of all, whilst you are here in the ICU.
According to Doctor Kazuya, you will be here for a while.
You were brought in with ambulance three days ago, with injuries and symptoms resembling those which people, who have been hit by lightning, experience, though yours seem to be to a much more severe degree, almost as though you've been exposed to powerful electrical currents several times over, through several days.
In all honesty, everyone is quite surprised that you are alive, considering this" she said, then she hesitated for a moment as she seemed to observe him, eyes curious, but then she continued once more, checking the results of her tests on him on the same time.
"Anyways, Doctor Kazuya will be dropping by before long to take a look at you. In the meantime, you are on complete bedrest and should avoid any and all movement, if possible.
Do not worry about bathrooms. You're already set up, so it is handled automatically.
Also, you are on an IV, so please do not attempt to remove it, even if it annoys you".
She moved to the window, pulling the curtains away slightly so he could glance outside.
It was grey and gloomy, and he could hear rain, hitting the window-glass.
"You haven't been alone for even a moment whilst you've been in here by the way. If your family hasn't been here, one or more of your friends have.
I'm a little curious about one of them.
I see him in here sometimes and I swear, he's got blue skin.
But he never seems to be around for long, though I can tell through my experience, that he is really worried about you…
I've given you some medicine for your nausea. I hope it helps, because I really can't have you move around, not even to throw up.
If you do still feel sick in a bit though, let me know and I will inform the Doctor of it. Maybe he can do something more about it.
Also, you have been cleared to receive morphine, if you are in a lot of pain, but we'd prefer to mainly give you paracetamol, until we are certain it won't make you worse.
You got quite sick in the ambulance, when they gave it to you there, so we're keeping a very close eye on you.
I expect your friend, Tori, will be back soon. So, if you need anything, you can use that button on your bedframe. It should be within reach without you having to move much, or you can have Tori push it for you, so you don't have to move at all. I'll be back to check on you in a little bit.
There's more water on the bedside table, if you'd like more. Have Tori help you with it, if I am not here, okay?".
With that, she silenced, and once Yuma had nodded his understanding, she send him a smile, before leaving the room.
A few minutes later, Tori came back, just as the nurse had said.
Once she was, she pulled a chair over to Yumas bedside and boldly took the hand closest to her. "Kari and Haru were really relieved to hear that you were awake. They'll be heading here soon. In the meantime, the nurse says you should sleep a bit Yuma.
Don't worry, if I'm not here when you wake up, someone else will be, so you're not gonna be alone for more than a bit, once in a while. Is there anything you'd like to know, that I might be able to tell you?" she asked, looking at him with shimmering eyes.
"As… tral… Where is…he?" he asked, and Tori swallowed, lowering her eyes.
Yuma could feel the golden key against his skin, but the fact that the nurse had spoken of a blue-skinned visitor that seemed to never stay for long, although he appeared really worried about him, combined with the fact that Yuma couldn't see, nor feel, him at the moment, had him scared and he couldn't sleep until he knew more.
"He… he isn't around much. I think he spends most of his time in the key, though I thought he couldn't, when he was still solid. Maybe he doesn't have a choice. I mean, it does work as a form of hospital for him after all, at least I think it does…" she said, looking thoughtful.
"Why?" Yuma asked weakly.
Tori glanced at him briefly, then lowered her eyes to their hands again, before she replied.
"He… he's really weak Yuma… Whenever I DO see him, he looks just like when you were gathering the numbers and you were losing badly. Like he's… fading, somehow. I'm not sure why…".
"WHAT?!" Yuma exclaimed and nearly shot up in the bed, but Tori pushed him down before he could do so.
"You have to stay still Yuma! Or you'll start to bleed badly again!" she said, afraid.
Yuma coughed for a while, but then swallowed and moved his free hand to the key, closing his fingers around it tightly as he also closed his eyes, to focus better.
"Astral" he then called "please, Astral. Can you… hear me?".
And then he waited.
And waited.
And waited.
"Yu… ma" came the faintest of answers then, across their bond, and he felt the alien reach out to him, though his presence seemed barely there.
"You're… awake" the alien added, but then no more words came. Only a feeling of cold and weakness.
"Oh no! Astral!" Yuma cried out, jolting in Toris' grasp once more, though she kept him relatively still.
"Yuma, what is it?!" she asked, worried, looking at him.
"It's Astral… He's so weak! And it's MY fault" the young man replied, cursing to himself and turning his head away from her, still grasping the key tightly.
"How can it be YOUR fault Yuma? Didn't you just help him through some stuff a week ago?
Wait, is that… why you're ill? Because of what you helped HIM with?!" Tori asked, looking confused.
Yuma hesitated, looking thoughtful.
Considering what the nurse said, it seemed a reasonable enough theory that Astrals time, and what went down throughout that week, might be what had caused Yumas injuries.
If it was, Yuma knew Astral might be distancing himself from him, out of guilt.
And because Yuma was so severely weakened, Astral too, was affected.
His life-force was, after all, tied closely to that of Yuma.
But they couldn't guilt out on one another again, like they did back then.
Yuma calculated that that had to have been about 5, maybe 6, days ago if he'd been in the hospital for three. It would only harm them both, and their bond as well, were they to do that.
So, Yuma had to speak with Astral, as soon as possible. But with him as weak as he was now, how could he? If he was so weak he had to stay inside the key… But wait. Hadn't Tori said something about him still being solid? And that she wondered how he could be inside the key when that was the case?
If she was right, then it was true. Astral himself had told Yuma that being inside the key when he was in solid form, was painful, because it would constantly be trying to return him to his natural, translucent state.
Was the alien trying to punish himself by suffering in silence within the key? Or was it truly necessary for him to remain in it, not to fade?
Yuma wish he had known, but he didn't. And Astrals presence in his mind, had retreated to a barely sensible level.
"Yuma?" Tori said questioningly, and Yuma shook his head softly, returning to the presence.
"Sorry Tori… I'm… really tired" he said, and pulling the duvet closer around himself, he showed her that he couldn't talk right now.
He turned his head away from her and closed his eyes, holding the key tightly in hand, beneath the soft fabric which now covered him.
He heard Tori sigh, but then she said, "alright Yuma… Get some rest" and the room fell silent…