Flat Line

Inuyasha-tachi and others belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Shounen Sunday – not me. Any people I add along the way are mine.

Are you concerned yet? Hope you liked the last chapter, now on with this one!
By the way, the reason why I may be overdramatic is that – come on, this is a fic! You're entitled to be overdramatic right? I know fully well what having this pain is like, because I had it myself last week and it's starting up again now.

Hopefully it really isn't appendicitis like my mum and my doctors feared. But Inuyasha may not be as fortunate. Wait and see.

Saved By An Angel

Inuyasha woke up to the feeling of soft sheets and a comfy mattress beneath him. When his eyes snapped open he was lying in Kagome's bed, propped up by two or three pillows. Kagome was sat on the floor, soaking a flannel in a bowl of water.

Inuyasha opened his mouth and then shut it. For some reason, he wanted to close his eyes and see what Kagome's reaction would be – he wanted to listen to her, to see if she revealed anything while he supposedly 'slept'. Not that he knew what kind of things she would reveal. He was about to close his eyes once more, when Kagome looked up and caught his eyes.

She sucked in a breath, and then timidly smiled. "You're awake," she observed, brushing back a few strands of hair.
Inuyasha blinked twice and then looked around, confused as to how he had gotten here in the first place.

He remembered somehow crawling out of the well, and then staggering towards the Higurashi household before falling flat on his face. And then… Kagome was at his side – placing his head on her lap and brushing his hair out of his face, helping him to breathe and smoothing everything over like he knew she would.

Kagome…
She had forgiven him, right? Otherwise he wouldn't be here in her room, staring at her without her yelling at him in some ridiculous way. No. She was smiling, and was placing the water bowl on her bedside table before reaching up and placing the flannel she'd been soaking on Inuyasha's forehead.

He sucked in a breath when he realised how cold it was, then recovered. Kagome continued to watch him, and then sat up on the bed next to him. She appeared concerned. Inuyasha had known she would worry.

He still felt guilty about this morning. Inuyasha put his hand on hers, his eyes shining. "Kagome, about this… this morning–" he gasped out between breaths, mentally cursing. He was still finding breathing hard, for reasons he couldn't understand.

Kagome smiled. "It's okay. You were like this then, weren't you? You felt ill earlier and you got upset when I said I was leaving,"

Inuyasha nodded, then lurched forward and coughed, sickly. Kagome looked afraid for a moment, and then rubbed his back, smiling faintly. "I should've noticed. So what's wrong? You've got a fever – is that all that's bothering you?"

"–Pain," Inuyasha rasped, motioning to his side and running a finger down his abdomen. Kagome seemed confused and then she realised what he was saying. And it wasn't in a good place to feel pain.
"Take off your clothes," she said, seriously.

Inuyasha choked, and then spun to look at her – his body tensing up at the sudden movement. "What?" he hissed.
"Take off your kimono, I didn't say anything about your trousers – I need to see your side,"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes for a few seconds and then gave up, wincing in pain as he took off his haori and then his kimono. He folded his arms and fell back against the pillows, looking away from Kagome. Now that he felt a little better after some rest, he could go back to his stubborn self.

Kagome ignored him and touched his right side, gently. Inuyasha shivered, but said nothing. She moved down to just above his hip and pressed a little harder. His expression crumpled only slightly. She moved slightly left and below his hip, her fingers slipping beneath the line of his trousers – dangerously close to something extremely sensitive that Inuyasha didn't want her to touch… yet.

He almost leapt in the air, had the pain in his side not stopped him. "What the hell are you–?"
Kagome pressed down on the spot and Inuyasha's eyes widened. The pain shot from the spot underneath her fingers and he howled in agony, lurching backwards as it reached up from his abdomen to the rest of his lower body.

Kagome drew her hands away. "You're all knotted up. And tender. It's not good," she frowned, watching his face. Inuyasha looked like he was about to retch. He writhed in pain, still feeling the force of the press against his abdomen.

Kagome stood up, unsure of what to do now. "Stay here," she told him, before slipping out of her room. Inuyasha called angrily after her: "I'm not going anywhere!"
When he realised she was gone, he remembered the horrified feeling when her fingers had brushed his abdomen. When he shivered, he realised how afraid he'd been.

A blush crept up across his cheeks, while the rest of his face remained pale. His heart had pounded for a minute there, and he had wondered whether Kagome had been really looking for something wrong with him, or whether it was just an excuse.

But he had been teasing himself, nothing more. He tightened the bow on his trousers, frowning. He could still feel her touch, the sensation making goose-bumps appear on his skin. Another pleasant shiver ran down his spine, and he tried to listen to Kagome's conversation downstairs on the phone.
As a hanyou it wasn't hard, but he'd gotten used to blocking unnecessary sounds out. He had to battle with his senses for a moment before anything made sense.

"…He says it's along his right side, just above and below his hip – around that area… Yeah, that was what I was afraid of. It can't be–? He is having breathing problems but… O- kay? Right. Thanks. Bye,"

Kagome's voice drifted into nothingness. Inuyasha heard her place something down on the table and then her footsteps were echoing up the stairs. In a moment her head peered round the door, her dark hair framing her face. Her eyes shone in the afternoon sunlight.

Wait. Afternoon?
Inuyasha briefly realised he had been unconscious since early in the morning till midday. He mentally cursed and thought, for the second time that day, how pathetic he was.

Kagome was at his side, and he looked up to see her smiling meekly. "I just called the helpline. They're sending a house-call doctor out to see you, so we've got to cover your ears somehow,"

Inuyasha stared dumbly. "You called a doctor? Why?"
Kagome pointed a finger in his face, scowling. "Don't play the idiot, Inuyasha. You are seriously sick, mister,"
Inuyasha grabbed her jabbing finger midair until, in effect, he was clutching her hand. He stared into her eyes, amber on brown, in an unending gaze.

Kagome suddenly realised how pale he was. She smiled. "You're afraid of doctors?" she asked.
Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and his grip on her hand tightened. "No. I'm afraid of what doctors do. The power they have over people. Deciding what to cut off and everything – you know what I mean,"

Kagome laughed and caressed his hand with her thumb without even realising it. "Don't be silly, Inuyasha. They aren't going to cut anything off,"
Inuyasha felt the goose-bumps return for a moment, and then he calmed down. "Good," was all he said, but inside he was still afraid.

Many doctors had come to see Mother when she was ill, and they had all said she was healthy. All of them. And Inuyasha had still watched his mother die of an illness when she supposedly had 'nothing wrong with her'. They'd said she was overreacting… but she had been dying under their noses.

Inuyasha had always been weary of doctors as a result, even healers. It had been hard to trust Jinenji, and had been especially hard when Kagome, Miroku and Sango had 'died' after Renkotsu's attack. No matter how he tried to reason with himself, he had a natural distrust of doctors and healers that wouldn't shift.

Kagome was pottering about in her wardrobe now, looking for something. Inuyasha watched her for a moment, but then fell back against the pillows and shut his eyes. The pain didn't come until he moved, so if he lied perfectly still…
Kagome turned when she found her missing item. She was about to say something, but then her expression changed to immediate concern.

"Are you okay?" she asked suddenly, seeing him lying stiff as a board. Inuyasha nodded wordlessly, shifting atop the sheets.
Kagome stepped over and wrapped something around his head. Inuyasha's eyes fluttered open. Kagome finished tying the anonymous cloth and smiled, satisfied.

"It'll do."
Inuyasha reached up and touched the cloth once, then sighed. "You're sure this 'doctor' won't take it off?"
Kagome's face creased up at the thought. "I hope not. I remember once, when I went to the doctors, he checked my temperature through this thing he put in my ear. I hope he takes my word for it and sees you've got a fever… though he wouldn't be doing his job properly,"

"He?" Inuyasha repeated.
Kagome nodded. "Yep. He's a young doctor, apparently. The helpline nurse said so on the phone."
Inuyasha's eyes darkened and he clenched his fists. "Young doctor? How young?"

"Must be in his twenties or something. Does it matter?"
"I don't know, you tell me," Inuyasha frowned.
Kagome smiled. He's so cute when he's jealous…

Inuyasha looked away, averting his eyes. "How long will he be?" he asked, not really caring.
Kagome shrugged. "I told the nurse you were pretty bad. She said he'd come right away. They often come running when you mention your append–"

She stopped suddenly and then smiled, waving her arms. "Uh, what am I saying? They're just concerned, so they're coming–"
"'They come running when you mention–' what?" Inuyasha scowled, his eyes dancing in the sunlight flickering through the open window.

Kagome looked uncertain, not really wanting to tell him, but then she sighed. "When you mention your appendix. It's an organ you don't really need. I don't exactly know what it does, except sometimes it… it can explode,"

Inuyasha's eyes widened but he recovered quickly. "Explode?" he mumbled, feeling numb inside. He automatically pressed a hand against his side, probing for the pain.
Kagome nodded. "Yeah. I didn't think, as a hanyou, yours would explode – or I didn't think you would you even have one,"

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything. He let Kagome continue. The girl took a deep breath, and then went on. "But if surgeons don't remove it in time – when it's about to explode… you can die. If you're fit and healthy, you can live, but… well, not all the time."

Inuyasha clutched his side tighter, looking down at the bed sheets. "And that's… what's wrong with me? My appendix has… exploded?"
Kagome sat down next to him and locked her fingers in his, smiling. "No. Your appendix hasn't exploded. We don't know what's wrong with you until the doctor gets here,"

Inuyasha sucked in a breath of relief, but he didn't let it show on his face. "Well, I hope he hurries up," he said, sharply.

A voice drifted up from downstairs. "Kagome, the doctor's here! Shall I send him up?" Mama Higurashi called.
Kagome sighed and patted Inuyasha hand absently. She let go of his hand and stood up. "Yes, Mama!"

She turned back to look at Inuyasha and smiled encouragingly. "It'll be fine," she grinned.
Inuyasha couldn't help but smile timidly back.

The next moment, a dark head peered around the door and the doctor stepped in, smiling amiably. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized, carrying some form of briefcase. Kagome smiled warmly. "It's fine."

Inuyasha refused to look up, almost as if he were sulking. He was still half-naked from removing his kimono from before and he felt even more exposed now that there was someone else in the room.
The doctor put his briefcase on the floor and stepped over, looking at Inuyasha with interest.

He was like no doctor Inuyasha had ever seen, just as Inuyasha was like no patient the doctor had ever seen. He stared at Inuyasha's hair, obviously thinking: bleached, but when he caught sight of Inuyasha's amber eyes he wasn't so sure.

Inuyasha sat up, feeling as if he had to. That was when the pain flared up again, causing him to tense up all over again and hiss with pain. He clutched his arms around his body and rocked back and forth. Kagome made to say something, but the doctor put a probing hand on the spot where Inuyasha was clutching the most – his claws causing the skin to blossom with blood.

Sharp nails too… he thought minutely, before touching the area around his abdomen. Inuyasha snarled and writhed in pain as the doctor pressed even harder than Kagome had, sending bolts of pain up and down his body. His vision was going blurry as it had in the morning.

The doctor pulled his hand away. He studied Inuyasha's face for a moment, then bent down to his suitcase and pulled out an electric thermometer. For a moment Kagome's heart pounded. No… Not the ears…

But instead he resorted to sticking it under Inuyasha's arm, making the half-demon even more uncomfortable and making him growl.

Kagome made motions with her hands for him to calm down. Inuyasha sucked in a deep breath and bit down on his tongue, not liking the feel of the strange instrument beneath his arm.
The doctor pulled it out and looked at the temperature before shaking his head. It wasn't good. The boy was running a high fever – extremely high.

A fever plus pains in the lower abdomen wasn't good. It made up the symptoms of appendicitis – but without the other symptoms he couldn't be sure. He would've just left it as stomach cramp had it not been for the dramatic temperature coming off from the boy.

He turned to face Kagome and tried to sound reassuring. "He seems fine for the moment. If he starts to vomit or cough up blood then I would take him immediately to the hospital, understand?"

Kagome nodded. There were other symptoms too, she knew, but she guessed these were the main ones. And she knew, just by looking at Inuyasha, that at times he wanted to throw up. He wouldn't admit it thought, not even to himself. She would have to watch over him. Out loud, Kagome sighed and showed the doctor out.

When she came back, Inuyasha sniffed. "What a waste of time," he scowled, falling back onto the bed. Kagome nodded, and then she smiled. "Do you want a drink? I can get you some medicine – maybe that will make you feel better."

Inuyasha waved a hand in a stubborn from of agreement and then shut his eyes – trying to let sleep take him. It wouldn't come. Kagome left the room and Inuyasha felt the loneliness envelope him now that she was gone. He wished she would just stay at his side, but she kept running back and forth doing things for him that would make him 'better'.

He frowned. In a couple of minutes she was back with a glass of orange juice and a tablet she called 'ibuprofen' – whatever that meant. Inuyasha swallowed it down with the juice and then let her remove the bandana.

The sun was ducking beneath the horizon outside. It was getting late.
Kagome looked to the window, almost wistfully, and seemed distant for a moment – her dark hair framing her face. Inuyasha looked at her then and thought: I was saved by an angel. After thinking that, however, he realised it was so soppy and romantic that he felt even worse.

He folded his arms, pouting. Then seemed to realise for the first time that he was in Kagome's bed. So if he was in her bed… where was she going to sleep tonight?
"Kagome, where are you sleeping tonight?" Inuyasha asked her, glancing down at Kagome who was sat on the floor – her knees together.

She looked up, and then her warm brown eyes sparkled. "Oh, Mama's bringing me up some blankets. I'll be on the floor, next to you,"
Inuyasha didn't like the idea of Kagome sleeping on the carpet. He'd sat there for the whole night and it had turned him numb – so how would sleeping on it affect her, a human?

"Uh uh," Inuyasha frowned. "I'll sleep on the floor. You have the bed,"
Kagome looked dumbstruck, and then she shook her head. "No, you're ill. Besides, you've taken up my bed before without caring about me…"
"Not willingly! Listen, Kagome, I'll feel bad if you wake up cramped up in the morning…"

Kagome sighed. "No, Inuyasha. Really, it's fine,"

She looked away, ending the conversation there, but Inuyasha wouldn't give up easily. He looked down at the bed, and suddenly an idea struck him. He looked back up at Kagome. "This bed's big enough for two if I move over. We can share…"

Kagome looked like she was choking on the air she breathed. "What?" she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.
Inuyasha shrugged. "That way you can see if anything is wrong with me, and watch over me, right? And we both sleep comfortably tonight. We both win,"

"I don't know…"
"It doesn't mean anything," Inuyasha snapped, suddenly coming back to his normal aggravated self. "I'm just thinking about you, that's all,"

Kagome stared blankly for a few more moments, and then stood up. "Fine," she pouted, making her way over to her wardrobe and taking out a set of pyjamas before storming out of the room to get changed in the bathroom. Inuyasha watched her go, wondering why there was a feeling of triumph and excitement rising up inside of him.

He tried to squash it down, but it wouldn't budge. All he kept thinking was that he and Kagome were going to be sharing a bed for the night. A blush crept up along his face and he tried taking slow breaths. He didn't succeed. Despite wanting to sleep earlier, he didn't think that now he would. He felt he would stay up all the night, just watching Kagome sleep.