Haruka and Kiseki slept peacefully while Michiru sat in front of her computer, staring blankly at the screen as no ideas ran through her head. With it already being Wednesday, she had three days to come up with a full composition. She sat in front of the machine for twenty minutes before standing up and walking away, very frustrated. "What's wrong with me?" she thought. "It's never this hard to come up with something." She went back up the stairs to the main level and pulled a glass from the cabinet. Not noticing that she had a bad grip on it, it fell to the counter and shattered, the glass falling all around her. One piece managed to graze her left forearm, cutting her deeply. She screeched, but cut it short as she remembered her sleeping child.
Haruka woke up at the sound of Michiru's yell. Looking to make sure Kiseki was still asleep, she carefully got out of the bed and made her way downstairs quickly. "Michi?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen. She seen her wife holding her arm and went to her side.
"Watch out," Michiru informed the blonde, motioning toward the floor. She looked back to her arm when she felt blood drip from it. "Ruka, hand me that towel."
Haruka still hadn't realized that her wife was bleeding badly as she moved to the counter and grabbed the towel that sat next to the sink. Handing it to the musician, she finally saw what happened. "Are you ok?" she asked before Michiru took the towel.
The aqua-haired girl grimaced as she wrapped the towel around her arm. "I just cut my arm. I'm fine." She knew she was lying, knew she needed stitches.
"Michi," Haruka said as she stared at her wife's arm. "You're bleeding through the towel. I don't think you're 'fine'."
Michiru hung her head in defeat. "You're right." She pressed the towel to her arm a bit tighter. "I'm going to the hospital."
Haruka scowled. "Well, I'm going with you." She went over to a drawer and grabbed three more towels. When she turned around, her wife was shaking her head.
"You can't," said the artist. "What about Ki-chan?" She took one of the towels from the blonde and wrapped her arm again.
Haruka shrugged. "We'll have to bring her with us. Go get in the car, and try not to bleed on the leather." She received a hard smack from Michiru's non-injured arm then started to go upstairs. "Kiseki," she said when she entered her bedroom. "Ki-chan, get up. Baby, come on. We have to go."
Kiseki sat up and rubbed her eyes. She didn't understand what was going on but did as her dad said. Standing very unsteadily on the bed, she made her way to her dad's arms and put her own around her dad's neck.
Haruka carried her daughter out to the car and got her buckled in. Jumping into the driver's seat, she started the car and left quickly. Looking down at the clock on the radio, it read 9:41 pm. When they got to the hospital, she got out and helped Kiseki out of the car, placing the child on her shoulder. Seeing that her wife had already gotten out, she went to her side and they all walked into the hospital.
Michiru was readily accepted in, thanks to being the celebrity that she was. Her wife and child were out in the waiting room as she sat on one of the many beds in the area. She only had to wait a few minutes before someone was by her side, looking at her injury.
Haruka sat in one of the chairs, her child's head on her shoulder. She turned her head a bit and looked at her. "You feeling all right?" she asked quietly. She felt the girl nod and let out a small sigh. Relaxing back into the uncomfortable chair, she moved her free hand up and stroked Kiseki's hair.
Kiseki sat up and looked for her mother. "Where's mommy?" She looked around again then looked at her dad, waiting for an answer.
The blonde smiled lightly, hoping to reassure the child. "She'll be back. She has to do something." She watched as Kiseki nodded.
Kiseki laid her head back on her dad's shoulder and closed her eyes. After a few minutes of silence between her and her dad, she started coughing again.
A nurse walking by heard Kiseki coughing and turned to the two blondes. "Hello, Mr. Tenoh. Is she all right?"
Haruka looked at her daughter again. "We don't really know. She's been sick for a week. It hasn't been very serious though."
The nurse nodded. "Are you waiting for a doctor? I can get someone for you if you want." She looked at the child again, noticing how pale she was. "I would recommend it."
Haruka looked at her baby and sighed. "Actually, it'd be great if you could get Mizuno, Ami." She watched as the nurse nodded and walked away. A few seconds later, she heard a page for Ami over the intercom.
Ami sat at her desk, in front of her computer as she usually did, analyzing some lab results. When she heard her name over the P.A., she stopped typing and listened intently. "What would they need me for? I'm not actually supposed to be here right now," she thought as she left the lab. Walking out to the reception desk, she inquired as to why she had been paged. The nurse pointed in the direction of the two blondes and when Ami realized who it was that wanted her, she was no longer angry.
Haruka stood when she seen Ami turn toward her. "Hi, Ami-chan. How have you been?" She went through all the formalities calmly, not particularly worried about her child's condition. She would later come to regret that.
Ami smiled at the blondes. "I don't mean to sound rude or mean but, was there some reason why you needed to see me?" Her expression dimmed as she thought about going home for the night.
"Actually," Haruka started. "Kiseki's been sick for a while, and it looks like she went really pale while we've been sitting here. I just wanted to ask a favor of you."
Ami smiled gently and nodded. "You wanted me to see if she's all right?" She was glad to help her friends out, even if it did impede on her going home. She gained a nod from the senshi of Uranus. "Why are you here anyway? That is, if you don't mind me asking."
Haruka hugged her daughter closer when she coughed a few times, feeling relieved once the coughing stopped. "Michiru cut her arm a little while ago and it was pretty deep," she explained.
Ami nodded. "I see. Well, if you don't mind, let's get Kiseki checked out. You can just follow me." She led the way into an empty exam room and flicked on the light. "Can you wait here for a second? I have to go do something. I'll just be one second." She closed the door on her way out and headed for the main desk, grabbing a clipboard and a pen. "Room 403 is occupied, Yumi," she said to a woman behind a computer. She went back into the room and closed the door again. "Ok. Can you sit her down there?"
Haruka nodded and shifted to place Kiseki on the exam table. "It's ok, baby," she said quietly when she realized Kiseki wasn't letting go of her shirt. "It's only Ami. She won't hurt you, I promise." She pulled a chair from the corner of the room and sat next to the table. "Sorry, Ami. She doesn't really like doctors."
Ami chuckled. "That's ok. No one really does when they're that little." She went to work, pulling her stethoscope out and placing the end on the girl's chest, under her shirt. "She has a good heartbeat," she informed her friend. She continued checking the child over and came to a decision that none of them were going to like. "Well, from what I've concluded from the physical examination, nothing seems to be abnormal."
Haruka looked at her friend dumbfounded. "Can you put that into some form of understandable language?"
Ami blushed. "Oh, sorry, Haruka-kun. I mean from the outside, she's healthy. I'm afraid, however, that if you want to know if it's nothing more than just a cold, I'm going to have to take some blood and run some tests."
Haruka sighed. "I don't think I'm the person you need to be apologizing to, Ami-chan." She looked at her daughter and frowned.
"Well," Ami began. "It's your choice whether you want me to or not. I know that Kiseki isn't going to like it, and I don't really like to take blood from children because they find it frightening, but if you want a firm answer, I'm going to have to."
Haruka nodded. "I know she's probably going to be mad at me for this but I do want to make sure." She watched as Ami frowned and turned to a cabinet on the opposite side of the room. Before her friend could get anything out, she turned back to her daughter. "Ki-chan, I know you aren't going to like this but you want to feel better, right?"
Kiseki looked at her dad through tearful eyes and nodded. She looked to the other woman as she started to walk toward her.
Haruka saw the needle Ami had gotten from the cabinet and grimaced. She hated needles with a passion and didn't want to watch when Ami was about to take a sample of blood from her daughter, but the child reached out with her tiny, fragile hand and searched for her own. She took Kiseki's hand and held it tightly, feeling the small girl shiver in fear. "It's ok, Kiseki. It won't hurt," she said before Ami reached for the girl's other arm.
Kiseki looked at the needle in the blue-haired woman's hand and was terrified. Her tears started to fall freely but silently as Ami gently took her arm.
Ami hesitated before taking the sample. "Kiseki, I need to you to calm down a little, ok? You're going to feel a little pinch but that's it." She felt the child relax enough so she could do what needed to be done.
Kiseki felt Ami clean a spot of her arm on the inside of her elbow, then the needle pressed against it and she tried not to move. More tears fell from her eyes now as she turned her head away.
Haruka was amazed at how her daughter was taking this. She had never been this accepting of needles, and never would be either. "It must be one of Michiru's traits," she thought as she felt Kiseki tighten her grip on her hand.
After a few seconds, Ami was done. She set the needle on the counter behind her and grabbed an alcohol pad. She cleaned the speck of blood from Kiseki's arm and quickly covered it with a brightly-colored band aid she thought the girl would like. "You're all done, Ki-chan."
Kiseki's tears slowed as she turned her head back to look at Ami then down at her arm with its bright blue band aid, never letting go of her dad's hand.
Haruka smiled at her child. "See? That wasn't so bad." The small blonde turned to her and she picked her up. "Good job, Ki-chan," she whispered.
Ami smiled at her friend's attempt to console the girl. "I'm sorry to rush like this but I should have actually been home hours ago, so I'm going to go get these started. I'll finish them tomorrow and let you know, ok?"
Haruka stood up, Kiseki in her arms, and nodded. "Thank you, Ami. Sorry to have kept you here." She rubbed Kiseki's back lightly.
Ami smiled again. "It's nothing to worry about. I'm glad I can help." She went to the clipboard and made out a small label to place on the tube. Picking up the small bottle, she turned back to the blondes.
Haruka smiled lightly. "Thanks again, Ami. We owe you one." She felt Kiseki lift and turn her head to look at the other woman before laying it back on her shoulder. "Michiru is probably looking for us, and you need to get out of here, so it's time to go."
Ami nodded. "Ok. I'll talk to you tomorrow then." She turned and opened the door, holding it open for her friend.
Haruka smiled at Ami. "Good night, Ami-chan." She gained no verbal response, just a nod and a wave. "Let's go find mommy," she whispered to her child.
"Daddy," Kiseki murmured. "Wanna go home." She buried her face in her dad's shoulder and hugged her a bit tighter.
Haruka chuckled. "Ok. We'll go home as soon as we get mama." She carried her child back out to the waiting room, scanning the area for her wife. She caught a glimpse of her aqua-haired partner and started to walk to her. "All set?" she asked when she joined the artist.
Michiru looked at her wife and child then nodded. "Where were you two?" she asked as she stood up. She used her non-injured arm to reach up and stroke Kiseki's hair.
Haruka stole a glance at Michiru's now-wrapped arm before answering her. "I decided to let Ami take a look at Ki-chan, just to make sure she's all right."
Michiru nodded. "That was probably a good idea." She looked at her baby and smiled. "You'll be ok."
Kiseki reached one arm out and indicated that she wanted to hug her mother.
Michiru thought for a second before moving over to take the child from her wife. "Come here, Ki-chan."
Haruka was a bit concerned about the situation. "Can you hang onto her with one arm?" She received a piercing glance and took half a step back when she finished transferring the child to her wife.
Michiru glared at the taller woman. "I'm not weak, Ruka," she said sarcastically. "I just have a slight handicap at the moment. Besides, she's not very heavy." She turned her head slightly and kissed her child's forehead.
Haruka smiled and sighed happily. "Ok. Let's go home." She put her arm around Michiru's waist and walked her out to the parking lot, heading straight for the car. Opening the back door, she helped Michiru get Kiseki settled and buckled in before opening her wife's door. She knew the girl could close it herself so she made her way back to her own side. She took her time getting back home. She didn't see a reason to rush.
It was 10:30 when they pulled back into the driveway of their home and Michiru was more tired than she had expected. Getting out of the car, she immediately went to the house since her wife was getting the already-sleeping child out of the backseat. She waited for Haruka to come in the house before she closed and locked the door.
Haruka turned to her wife after taking her shoes off. "Are you going to bed?" She felt Kiseki stir a bit but the girl never woke.
"Maybe in a few minutes," Michiru whispered. "That composition can wait until tomorrow." She took her own shoes off and went to the couch, reaching for the remote.
Haruka turned toward the stairs and started to climb them. Opening Kiseki's bedroom door quietly, she entered the room and strode across the room to her child's bed. Laying Kiseki down gently, she covered the small girl with her blanket. "Good night, Ki-chan." She bent down and kissed her daughter before leaving the room and heading back downstairs. Moving to the couch she sat next to her wife and sighed.
Michiru moved closer to Haruka and leaned against her, finally being able to relax for the first time in a week. After a few minutes of complete silence, she chuckled before saying, "Welcome home, Ruka."
AN: Hey. Thanks for reading chapter 2. I hope you enjoyed it. I have a request for all of you. Review! Please? Pretty please? I would hope that you will. I have a proposition for you. The more reviews I get, the faster I'll get the next chapter up. Thanks! --Kuro--