I'm so sorry I kept you all waiting so long! I had major writer's block! There's a tiny bit of Kai/Ray in this chapter, just a memory, but if you don't want to read it, just skip the bit in italics. It's nothing, no kissing or anything, but I just thought I'd better warn you.
Thanks to everyone who responded with what kind of an ending they would like! It's definitely looking like number 3 so far! I've had a couple of votes for number 2, and I just want to clear something up quickly. Remember, people, Kai is gay. At least three people asked for him to be put with Chang Juan - who is FEMALE! He is GAY! Anyway, now that's nicely cleared up, can I just say, thank you for not voting number 1! I would have written it, but wouldn't have enjoyed it! (Did anybody notice my subtle ploy in the last chapter to persuade you away from it?)
So, on with the fic!
Bright, glaring white lights bored into him like drills, intensifying the headache tenfold and making his eyes burn. Machines beeped and buzzed, luminescent ribbons of colour looping on the screens. Wires were everywhere, attached to clear plastic bags of liquid. The insistent noise of the heart monitor made him start with every loud beep. He supposed it should be reassuring, when in fact it was nothing of the sort. It reminded him too much of the last time he was in here, when Rosie's birth had gone horribly wrong, and it had been Mariah's heartbeat that had boomed throughout the silent, sterilised room.
Ray rubbed ineffectively at his throbbing temples, his stinging eyes taking everything in that wasn't the pale, lifeless figure in the hospital bed. The feeling of nausea in his stomach increased and sharpened into a painful jab, as if his insides were being slowly twisted. He let out a soft gasp and clutched at his abdomen, waiting for the spasm to pass. The figure in the bed stirred, eyes slowly, painfully opening. Bloodshot honey met misty amethyst, the pupil noticeably dilated. Kai pulled weakly at the oxygen mask covering his lower face, relief flooding his face as he recognised Ray.
"You...look...like hell." he whispered hoarsely. Every word sounded like a tremendous effort. Ray smiled self-deprecatingly.
"Yeah, I feel even worse." he muttered. "What about you?"
"Mm...lotsa drugs..." Kai murmured, chuckling softly, moving his hand with the IV in it for proof. Ray nodded his head to show that he understood, then winced.
"Hell!" he hissed, clutching his throbbing head.
"Yeah." Kai agreed in a slurred mumble. "That's...what you...look...like." Ray scowled and came over to sit on the bed next to Kai, replacing the oxygen mask over Kai's thin, ashen face.
"Your fault." he accused, digging his knuckles into his closed eyes. "If you hadn't suddenly gone from being...well, you, to being this sick...weak...helpless thing... I wouldn't have wanted to block it out... wouldn't have drunk four bottles of whiskey over a lot of hours..." He stopped himself, colouring with embarrassment at his ramblings. A tear threatened to fall, stinging his eye like a loose eyelash. Kai blinked dreamily, his drugged mind slowly processing the little outburst.
"Twit..." he mumbled, his voice hopelessly muffled and distorted through the mask. "You...'kay?" Ray shrugged one shoulder. "How...long...been here...for?"
"A day, give or take a few hours." Ray said distractedly. "Not long."
"Long...enough for...you drink to...no, to drink...four..." Kai growled softly at his complete inability to form a coherent sentence and started coughing. "Stupid - drugs..." he choked out, his eyes half-closed and watery from the coughing fit. "How..." He trailed off again, the pain in his chest finally too much to stand. Ray put a calming hand on his forehead, feeling the fever still burning merrily away.
"How is everyone?" He completed the sentence. Kai nodded weakly, his eyes closed. "Rosie's fine, just a little upset that everyone else is upset, if that makes sense. Mariah's stressed and trying to pretend she doesn't care what happens to you - not that we've been talking much, I've been too drunk, I haven't gone to work, either - and Lynnie's worried about you, and scared out of her wits because our next door neighbours have just got a dog and she's inherited my cynophobia." Kai made a soft sound that sounded like a chuckle. Ray leant his head on his hand, his mind suddenly flying back, back to a time when he and Kai had been together.
"Aw, look guys, isn't it cute?" Hilary squealed, petting the huge, lumbering St Bernard that had got loose from its lead. Max was the first to agree and move forwards, and - no Judy without Punch - Tyson was next. Nervously, with much coaxing from Tyson and Hilary, Kenny walked up to the dog and scratched it behind the ears. Within minutes, the massive furball was licking them all happily, letting out short snuffles of contentment.
"Isn't it cool, you guys?" Max asked, looking over at Kai and Ray.
"Cool." Kai said flatly.
Ray stared unblinkingly at the huge canine just a few feet away from him. He felt physically sick, rooted to the ground in pure fear. His mouth was dry, rapid breaths whistling over his parched tongue. The world seemed to whirl dizzyingly around him, his heartbeat thumping loudly in his ears.
"K-K-" His voice caught in his throat. The sudden inability to speak only intensified the feeling of unreality, of being trapped in some kind of horrifying nightmare. Suddenly, Kai's strong arms were around him, blocking out the sight of that monster. He collapsed, trembling, against Kai and started to cry, tears of mixed shame and fear.
"Ray? Ray, what's the matter...okay, okay, hush, it's okay...ssh..." Kai's cool hand stroked his cheek soothingly. His head reeling, Ray pulled away and bent over, retching helplessly. Warm, sour bile spewed onto the ground. Kai caught him again and held him gently, rocking him like a frightened child.
"D-Dog..." Ray stammered, by way of an incoherent explanation. "Big...dog..." Kai hushed him again, and he curled into a ball, his heartbeat gradually returning to normal. "Sorry..." he muttered eventually, wiping at his damp cheeks and colouring in humiliation. "I'm so sorry..."
"It's fine, Ray." Kai's hand caressed his hot face gently. "Do you feel better? Do you want me to call Mariah?" Ray shook his head. Breathing heavily, he burrowed into Kai's top and squeezed his eyes shut.
Ray took a moment to calm himself down, the fear coming back vividly, before something struck him.
"I forgot about that." he murmured, almost to himself. "Even with me in your arms, you still asked if I wanted Mariah..." Kai's eyelids fluttered open and he smiled wearily. Reaching out, he gave Ray's hand a feeble squeeze.
"Told you...knew...you were...taken..." His eyes closed again, and his grip on Ray's hand went limp. The nurse came in, a scolding look on her face.
"Sorry, Mr Kon, but Kai needs to rest. You've had well over the allotted time." Ray stood, his head pounding, thanked the nurse, and left quietly.
Rosa latched onto his leg, gazing up at him with big, pleading eyes that looked dangerously watery.
"Where's Mummy and Kai?" she asked, her voice quavering. Ray bent down and swept his youngest daughter up in a comforting embrace.
"Mummy's at work, Rosie, remember?" The little girl nodded, placing a thumb in her mouth and snuggling up against his chest.
"Where's Kai?" she mumbled indistinctly.
"Kai's in hospital, kitten." Ray replied. "He's sick, isn't he?" Golden eyes blinked uncertainly, then she nodded slowly.
"Uh-huh... you mean like me and Mummy when I came out of Mummy's tummy?"
"Yes, just like that."
"Oh." Satisfied, Rosa wriggled to be let down. "Come watch telly with me!" she demanded, tugging on his trouser leg. Numbly, Ray allowed himself to be led to the sofa. As an overly cheerful, bright children's TV presenter came on screen, Ray let his eyelids droop closed. He looked like hell, he felt like hell, he just wanted to sleep until everything was over...
"Ray? Ray, darling? Wake up, sweetheart, come on..." Groggily, he opened his heavy-lidded, gritty eyes and stared up at the pink blob that gradually morphed into Mariah's worried face. Her tense, anxious features relaxed into a scolding grin and she slapped him lightly on the cheek. "Dammit, you had me worried, Ray!" she exclaimed. "I come in from a hellish day at work and find you asleep on the sofa still stinking of alcohol, and I couldn't wake you up-" Abruptly, tears began spilling from her eyes and trickling down her cheeks, her face contorting as she fought to hold back sobs. Alarmed, Ray sat upright and pulled her to him, stroking her head soothingly.
"Ssh, it's okay, I'm fine." he whispered as she snuggled up to him, trembling like a leaf.
"I know, I know," Mariah mumbled in reply, her head buried in the crook of his neck. "I'm just stressed out, that's all..."
"Mummy okay?" Rosa asked anxiously, poking the jumbled pile of arms and legs and heads that looked vaguely like her parents and awaiting a response. Mariah's head popped up and she smiled reassuringly at the five year-old.
"I'm fine, Rosie. Where's Lynnie?"
"In the bedroom. Why?"
"Go and ask her what you both want for dinner tonight."
"Okay." Rosa scurried off. Seconds later, they heard her light footsteps thumping up the stairs. Touching his lips gently to Mariah's forehead, Ray yawned and stretched, standing up and grinning mischievously at his wife as she swore at him.
Fifteen minutes later, the whole family were in the kitchen. Ray and Mariah took turns cooking, and the girls took turns in hampering the chef's efforts and hiding behind the other parent, while giggling fit to burst. Nobody wanted to spoil the atmosphere and admit that it felt like something was missing.
"Kai Hiwatari? He's in room 24." Mariah nodded, thanked the receptionist and walked down the corridors, looking for the room number. Finding it after ten minutes of searching - courtesy of starting at the wrong end of the hospital - she knocked on the door and walked in.
"What've you got against waiting 'til someone says you can come in?" Kai mumbled indistinctly, glaring weakly at her. "Bad as 'rvryone else in here…" He closed his eyes, gulped for breath. "Stupid…drugs…aren't…helping!" he grumbled breathlessly.
"You just need to give them a bit more time, Kai." Mariah said soothingly. "You've only been in here a few days."
"Yeah, like you know…what you're…talking about…" Mariah blushed slightly in embarrassment as Kai laughed, misting up the oxygen mask with the sudden exhalation. "You…got my…medication?" he asked eagerly. Mariah frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, have…you? 'Cause…I haven't." Shock, concern and anger all flashed through Mariah's mind in a split second, but she managed to bite her lip. Kai looked at her, blinking slowly in puzzlement. His face was deathly white with two patches of red high on his cheeks. His pupils were huge, his irises merely thin lines of violet surrounding the deep black circles. He doesn't have his medication - what the hell? Mariah fumed silently. Thankfully, Kai was too doped up to register the flicker of fury that crossed her face. She composed herself. He was too ill to be distressed. She would get to the bottom of this later. Oh yes, she most definitely would.
"I'll sort that out for you, okay?" He nodded and yawned drowsily. "Shall I go now? You look like you could do with a sleep." Kai shrugged. "Is that a yes or a no?" Another shrug. "Hiwatari, drop the stupid pride act! Yes or no?"
"Mm…" Kai was barely awake. Mariah gave an annoyed sigh.
"Fine. I'm off. I'll come in when you're more awake." She turned to walk out the door.
"No…" The faint, breathy whisper stopped her mid-step. She looked over her shoulder, then sighed again, this time in defeat, and walked over to the semi-conscious man.
"What now?"
"Stay…please…" was all he said before finally falling asleep. Frowning and nibbling at her bottom lip, she sat down in a chair a little distance away and starting thinking hard.
She jumped slightly as Kai stirred next to her. His eyelids flickered open and shut a few times, but he settled back down again. Suddenly, the door opened and a nurse came in. Instantly, his eyes flew open and he tried to struggle up onto his elbows. Mariah was taken aback by the degree of panic in his eyes. The nurse smiled soothingly.
"Relax, Kai, I'm just going to check something, okay?" Judging by his alarmed expression, it was not okay, but the young woman carried on regardless. Mariah sank her teeth viciously into her bottom lip to stop herself from saying someting she knew she'd regret.
As the nurse left, Kai let out a long, shaky breath and started coughing jerkily.
"Do you want a drink?"Mariah asked, noticing the jug and stack of paper cups that stood on a small table near her. Kai nodded curtly, too breathless to speak. Mariah poured him a cup full of water and handed it carefully to him. He took it, his hand shaking, then sat up to drink it.
"Wonder what...grandfather would say...if he saw...me like this?" he asked a few minutes later. Mariah stayed silent, wondering where this abrupt little question had come from. "I should just ask him, shouldn't I?" That got her attention! "I've asked...him...stuff before."
"Wait," Mariah said slowly. "You mean you actually talked to him? As in; held a conversation?" Kai nodded, a strange gleam in his eyes.
"Yeah. Crazy, huh?" He was very tense, Mariah noticed, the muscles in his arms and neck standing out like ropes. Suddenly, he grabbed his plastic cup and flung it against the wall. Water spilled everywhere. The movement was so violent and unexpected that it took Mariah completely by surprise.
Kai stared at the cup, his face mask-like. "Stupid thing. Plastic, Doesn't break." His speech was short and gasping, the Mandarin completely gone, only broken, Russian-accented English left. "Everything in here. Plastic. Nothing breaks." He laughed wheezily, as if at some private joke. "Nothing breaks." he repeated tonelessly. He rubbed his eyes in an oddly childlike fashion. "Don't like it here." he muttered, looking blankly up at Mariah. His eyes were suspicious, bewildered, the eyes of a frightened child. Maternal instincts suddenly in full flow, Mariah reached out a hand to try and calm him. He moved away instantly.
The words came faster now, nearly incoherent. "Haven't had medication for ages. Just stupid hospital drugs. Don't help. Nurses don't know. Nobody knows. Nobody helps. Come in, no knocking. No apologies. Never - " He broke off, the babble stopped by sheer need for oxygen. "Can't - breathe..." He fumbled for the oxygen mask and dragged it clumsily over his face, taking long, rasping gasps of the pure oxygen. Gingerly, Mariah laid a comforting hand on his arm. He looked at her in vague surprise. It took a while for recognition to flicker in his confused eyes. "Too many people, Mariah," he whispered hoarsely. His gaze, previously locked with hers with an intensity that made her feel distinctly uneasy, stared around the room, searching it obsessively. "Too...many." he mumbled. His eyes were dark with fear, seeing something other than the sterilised hospital room, his body trembling like a leaf. Mariah continued to stroke his arm helplessly, not knowing how much good she was doing, or even if he could feel her wherever he had gone.
The door opened loudly and three burly male nurses came barrelling in.
"Is he giving you trouble, m'am?" one of them demanded. Mariah stared blankly at them, her temper gradually rising degree by degree. "The guy's a nutter. Keeps ranting on about medication. I reckon he's a drug addict, personally." He waited for a response, unaware that the reason he wasn't getting one was that the pretty woman he was talking to was desperately restraining herself from trying to claw his eyes out with her own fingernails. Shrugging, the nurse moved forwards, nearer to Kai. His colleagues followed him, albeit nervously. "Now then, Kai, don't you go giving the lady any trouble!" He chuckled at Kai's unresponsiveness, playing up to his sudden role as know-it-all. "See? The guy should be down in the pyscho ward!" He patted Kai on the shoulder.
"Get - away - from - me." Each word was seperated by an indrawn breath. The nurse frowned slightly, but carried on, unfazed. "Don't worry, mate, I'm not going to eat you!" He patted Kai again. Violet eyes blazed.
"I said; get away!" The surprised nurse toppled to the floor, clutching his throbbing head. Kai reared up like a striking cobra, his eyes wild, the enlarged pupils more visible than ever. Within seconds, the bed was a whirlwind of flying arms and legs. The fight changed position as Kai fell off the bed, and grew in ferocity, made all the worse by the sound of Kai's hysterical screams.
"Get...away...from...me! Let go of me! Let go! Why...won't you...get off? I hate - this place! Just - leave me alone...please...I hate this...please...please, just...leave me alone..." Mariah watched helplessly as he went limp, crying with fright and shame. His hospital top had been partially torn, baring most of his more horrific scars to anyone who cared to look in. "Leave - me - alone." he mumbled jerkily, wiping a mixture of tears, mucus and saliva from his face and trying unsuccessfully to get back into bed. Mariah stood up and helped him gently back on the bed, tucking him in as she would Lynette or Rosa.
"Ssh, Kai," she murmured soothingly. "Go to sleep. Everything's fine now, okay?" The nurses shrank back as she turned to them.
Her head felt like it might explode with rage. There was quite literally a red mist in front of her eyes, and she was unconsciously flexing her hands threateningly. She scrabbled through her fogged mind for some coherent Mandarin that wasn't an insult.
"Get me the doctor in charge around here." she ground out eventually. They all scurried to obey her. She needed Ray, she was too angry to think straight, let alone speak in a language she had problems with.
"Ray! You've got voicemail!"
"Thanks!" Ray called back. Pushing his chair back, he stood up and headed for the phone. Pressing the button, he listened with growing concern to the message.
"Ray, it's Mariah, get over to the hospital right now. I need you to help me. Something's seriously wrong with how they're treating him." Mariah's tight, angry voice stopped. Ray stood there for a few seconds, then snapped into action. Picking up the phone, he called a taxi, then rung Lee's number. Rosa was staying with her Uncle Lee while both parents were out.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Lee, it's Ray here. Listen, something's come up. I might need you to pick up Lynnie from school and keep them both for a bit, is that all right?"
"Yeah, sure, that's fine." Lee answered easily. "So, this is to do with Mariah, right?"
"Kind of..." Ray replied uncertainly.
"Okay, and Kai, right?" Lee had been informed on the whole Kai situation by Mariah a few weeks ago. Ray opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"Yes...how did you guess?" he asked slowly.
"Simple. They're the only two people you get really stressed about."
"Yeah, well, thanks for the analysis, Doctor Lee." Ray grumbled. "Anyway, I've got to go, taxi's here."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye." Ray grabbed his coat and hurried out the door.
The consultant stared at the fuming young woman opposite him nervously. They had been sitting in thick silence for about ten minutes now. Suddenly, the door opened and a tall, dark-haired young man came in. Instantly, the woman sprang up from her seat and went over to him, talking rapidly in what sounded like English, waving her hands around wildly. The consultant watched uneasily as the young man's handsome face filled with a cold anger, his eyes glittering with fury. He embraced the young woman - obviously his wife - briefly, and turned to face the consultant.
"You have a patient named Kai Hiwatari in your charge, do you not?" he asked, every word tinkling with icy politeness. An accent was very slightly apparent.
"Yes, I do."
"Kindly explain to me why he has not recieved the medications that I sent in for him?" The consultant blinked, then smiled. Ah. He knew what this was about, and more importantly, he knew the answer.
"Kai is being given so many antibiotics and anti-inflammatorys that any other medication would possibly cause an adverse reaction that could very well kill him." he replied smoothly.
"Doctor, as much as I hate saying this, Kai is mentally unbalanced. By denying him his medication, you are putting his mental health in jeopardy. I demand that you give him them."
"Sir, the possible ramifications of such a move-"
"I really don't care, doctor. These are the facts. You will give Kai his pills, or I will sue you." The consultant's eyes widened. He looked properly at the couple, seeing their expensive clothes. "I have the money to do so." the young man said coldly. "I'm sure that Kai can come off some of those other drugs."
"Yes sir, of course, sir. I'll get it sorted immediately."
"We will stay here until you do." The consultant groaned mentally. This was going to be a lot of bother. "Is there a problem?"
"No, no, not at all...I'll get on it right away."
"You do that." the young woman said suddenly in thick, heavily accented Mandarin, her eyes narrowed threateningly. "You do that right now."
The two of them looked through the clear glass pane in the door. Kai was sleeping. His head lolled to one side, fully exposing his mangled neck. His dark hair lay everywhere, making him look nearly the same colour as the pillow. Ray pushed open the door and went inside, swiftly followed by Mariah.
He sat down in the chair near the bed and looked silently at the one-time team captain, one-time world-reknowned beyblader. Now what was he? He'd said it himself only a few hours ago. Mentally unbalanced. His heart ached at the thought of the torture that Kai must have been going through the past few days. Slowly, his hand shaking slightly, he reached out and took Kai's hot hand in his, squeezing it gently.
"I'm sorry, Kai," he whispered. "I should have realised this would happen." The was a light, almost indefineable pressure on his hand. Clearly, Kai wasn't completely asleep.
"He's being stupid, isn't he, Kai?" Mariah murmured from behind him, her voice choked with tears. "Just like that doctor. But don't worry. You're going to be okay. Promise."
"Promise." Ray repeated in a whisper. Leaning forwards, he kissed Kai's forehead lightly, gently easing his head over so that his ruined neck was hidden from sight. Mariah nuzzled into him comfortingly, suppressing the sudden spark of jealousy. She knew it didn't mean anything.
"Shall we go?" she asked softly, kissing his cheek tenderly. "Lee's probably fed up of the girls by now." Ray smiled and stood up.
"Yeah, probably. Bye, Kai. We'll be back soon." Kai's eyelids fluttered, and his lips moved weakly.
"Bye..." he mouthed through the oxygen mask.
"Bye." Ray said again, his voice suddenly croaky. Suddenly, Mariah ran fowards and hugged Kai very gently. Then they turned around and left.
Well? What did you think? This chapter did not go at all as I wanted it to, it headed in a completely different direction! There'll probably be about another two or three chapters to go, and then I can congratulate myself on finishing a story at last!
By the way, if anybody's waiting for an update on Foster care, I'm slowly, slo-owly getting over the writer's block I've had on that for the past, like, two months. I've written about a page so far.
Please review! Please!
