Chapter 13: Sick
Career day. It was a day that Ema had been dreading. Admittedly, she was only in the first semester of her junior year in high school and a career was still far away. Still, college would be coming up soon enough and Ema still didn't know what she wanted to go into. Somehow, she felt an inordinate amount of pressure to find the career she wanted to go into now, and it couldn't be something mundane.
She wandered from booth to booth, nothing really catching her attention. Why in the world was there a booth for being a secretary? Were there that many people aiming for a career like that? Ema had the sinking feeling that she'd make a great secretary, but she was not going to that booth. Every one of her brothers who'd already graduated from school had their dream job, and Subaru and Fuuto were making amazing progress towards theirs. Being a secretary was not a job one dreamed about one's whole life.
Why couldn't Ema have had a dream career from the time she was a kid like Tsubaki and Subaru? Did it mean she wasn't as motivated?
"Hey, what's up?" A voice behind Ema asked. She spun around to see Yusuke, startled at the interruption to her melancholy thoughts.
"Yusuke, you surprised me," Ema said, putting a hand to her heart.
"Are you okay?" Yusuke asked in concern, peering into Ema's face. "You look upset."
Ema sighed. "I guess that career day just isn't my favorite day. I feel like there's so much pressure to find the one job that you want, or the one thing that you're really good at and want to pursue for the rest of your life."
"Whoa, I don't think that it's meant to be like that at all," Yusuke said, looking stressed out suddenly as he looked at the booths around them. "It's about exploring our options. The hope is that maybe we'll find something that we like, or at least something that we're interested in looking into."
"I know, but don't you ever feel pressured, Yusuke?"
"Pressured?" Yusuke asked, a confused look on his face. "About finding my one career while I'm in high school?"
"I mean because of our brothers and our parents. They're all so amazing. Don't you feel like we have to live up to that?" Ema well remembered the day that Fuuto announced his new role as a pop star and the lackluster response he got from most of the family.
Yusuke sighed and hung his head. "Are you kidding? I'll never live up to our brothers. I've known that for a long time. I can barely manage to get passing grades, but I'm surprised that you think like that too. You're definitely not average like me, Ema. You're grades are better and you're amazing at supporting others. I think that our brothers have partially come as far as they have thanks to you and your supporting them, Ema."
Ema blushed and shook her head. "There's no way. I'm sure they'd be exactly where they are right now even without me around."
"Maybe, but it would have been harder for them to get there and I think they would have struggled a lot more. You're amazing at motivating others and always knowing just the right thing to say. And you always help out, like when you took over the cooking while Ukyo took his exams to become a lawyer."
"Thanks, Yusuke," Ema said, feeling a little better. "I appreciate the support that you always give me. I'm grateful that we're in the same grade. It's fun being in the same class as you, going to school together, and doing homework together."
Now it was Yusuke's turn to blush as he looked at the ground and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I'm glad that I'm not a bother to you. I…I want to be there for you, Ema." Though the statement was true, it wasn't quite what he wanted to say to her. However, he hadn't seen Ema express any interest in dating yet, and he didn't want to pressure her. For now, he was content to just stay by her side and wait patiently. He'd resolved that if an opportunity didn't present itself for him to confess his feelings in the next two years, he'd tell Ema how he felt about her at graduation.
"It'd be impossible for you to be a bother!" Ema assured Yusuke. "Besides, we're both aiming for Meiji University, so let's work hard to make it there and we'll figure out what we want to do with our lives together along the way, okay?"
"Sounds good," Yusuke agreed, his heart thumping at the thought of going to the same college as Ema and them figuring out their lives together. He'd need to work really hard to make it to that point.
~.~
Ema rubbed tiredly at her face as she helped Ukyo make breakfast the next morning.
"Ema, are you okay?" Ukyo asked.
"I'm fine," Ema lied, smiling brightly. In reality, all of Ema's worry and stress over career day had made her exhausted, which led to her getting sick. She was hoping to hide it from her brothers though. All she had to do was make it through today and tomorrow, and then it would be the weekend and she could rest.
"Mmmhmm," Ukyo responded, not looking convinced, but he turned his attention back to the eggs. When Ema resumed cutting up the fruit, Ukyo came up behind her and put a hand to her forehead, pulling her back against him. Ema squeaked in surprise as Ukyo said, "You're burning up, Ema. I'll finish making breakfast. You go to your room and I'll send Masaomi to check you over."
"I can go to school," Ema argued. "It's not that bad."
"Ema," Ukyo said sternly, "when you're sick you need to rest. Otherwise, you won't get better. Now go to your room. I'll tell Yusuke not to wait for you."
"Yes, Kyo-nii," Ema said dejectedly, leaving the kitchen.
~.~
"It looks like you have a fever of one hundred degrees," Masaomi said a few minutes later, pulling the thermometer out of Ema's ear. "You won't be making it to school today."
"Sorry to cause you trouble on your day off, Masaomi," Ema apologized, feeling miserable. Her getting sick led to everyone being inconvenienced. Masaomi because he had to work on his day off, Ukyo because she wouldn't be able to help him cook dinner, Yusuke because he'd have to pick up Ema's homework for her, and everyone else because they'd worry about her.
"Don't be silly," Masaomi brushed off. "This is why I became a doctor. When I was growing up, mom kept having kids and during certain seasons, multiple brothers would be sick at a time, making things really difficult. I became a doctor for the sake of this family so that I could help everyone out more, both with a good career and with being able to take care of my family. And you should be apologizing least of all. You've made my job of taking care of everyone much easier because you always help out."
"That's amazing, Masaomi," Ema said, having had no idea where Masaomi's desire to become a doctor had come from. "You're amazing." Then she smiled. "I'm grateful to have such a caring older brother like you. And I'm glad you feel like I've made things easier for you."
Masaomi patted Ema's head. "Get some rest now and I'll be back in a little while to check on you, okay?" Ema smiled again and nodded. Masaomi got up from Ema's bed and walked into the hall, pausing outside Ema's door.
On the one hand, Ema's words that he was amazing kept echoing inside his mind. None of his brothers had ever said anything like that to him (not that he became a doctor to get their praise, of course). On the other hand, hearing Ema call him her older brother caused a tightening in his chest.
Masaomi pushed those feelings away, wishing he could do more to help Ema feel better. Ema always made everything brighter and the house wouldn't be the same with her sick in bed. When the triplets had taken Ema on a trip to the family's beach house last year, after a few days everyone at home had seemed a less happy and energetic without Ema around. Every day he looked forward to seeing Ema's smiling face and hearing her say 'welcome home' when he arrived back at Sunrise Mansion. He hoped that she got better soon.
~.~
A soft knock came at Ema's door later in the afternoon. "Em-chan, can I come in?"
"The door's open, Louie," Ema called her voice hoarse.
Louis came in with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. "This is from Iori," he said putting the vase on Ema's desk. "He wanted to bring them himself, but he had to get to his job at the cafe."
"That's so sweet," Ema said, taking in the flowers and noting that Iori must have picked and arranged these flowers from the ones he grew in the garden. "Thanks for delivering them, Louie."
"Of course, Em-chan. I wanted to come and see you anyway to see if there was anything I could do for you. I owe you after last time, remember?"
A few months ago, Louis had been laid out in bed with the stomach flu. Masaomi had a late shift at the hospital that night, so Ema had stayed up to take care of Louis.
"I'm grateful for your help, Ema, but you don't have to stay here all night," Louis said. "Besides, I feel bad about it. Little sisters shouldn't have to take care of their big brothers. It's supposed to be the other way around."
"I don't think so," Ema disagreed. "If I can help ease your pain even just a little bit, that makes me happy. I know how miserable it is to be sick and alone without someone to take care of you." Ema reached out to brush Louis' hair out of his face. "I don't want you to feel that way, Louie. Not when I'm right here and can help you."
Louis smiled. "You're always thinking about us, Em-chan. Don't forget to take of yourself too, okay?"
"Of course I'm always thinking about you guys. We're a family. What else would I do?"
Louis reached out and gently touched Ema's hair. "I promise that I'll give you a cute make-over when I get better, okay?"
"I don't have the stomach flu," Ema countered. "Just a fever and a cold. I'm not as bad off as you were."
"Still, it's no fun to be alone when you're sick, right?" Louis asked, echoing her words. When Ema was taking care of him and said that, he knew that she was referring to when she practically lived by herself. Louis wondered how young Ema had been when she first had to take care of herself when she was sick. She mostly avoided talking about the life she lived before joining the Asahina family, and when she did mention things offhand, they were rarely positive. Such as being sick and alone. He knew that Rintarou loved and cared for Ema, but he also knew that her life must have been difficult.
"Well," Ema said shyly, "Masaomi had to take care of bills today, so I haven't had anyone to talk to mostly. Will you tell me about your day?"
"Of course, Em-chan," Louis said, pulling Ema's desk chair closer to the bed and taking a seat.
~.~
Later, one of Louis coworkers called into work sick and Louis had to go back in. A few minutes later, Kaname walked in. "Hello, Imouto-chan," he greeted cheerfully, carrying a sports drink in one hand and chocolates in another. "I come bearing gifts. The drink is from Subaru. The chocolate is from me."
"I hate being sick," Ema said with a sigh, then shook her head and rubbed her face to try and wipe away her melancholy. "Sorry, thanks for the gifts, Kana-nii. You can just set them on my night stand."
"In a hurry to get rid of me?" Kaname joked, sitting in the chair that Louis had left by her bed. "I came here to visit you. Why do you hate being sick, Imouto-chan? Yusuke gladly uses the excuse of being sick to miss school when he can get away with it. You get to stay home and have people take care of you. And you get to catch up on watching TV and gaming."
Ema avoided looking at Kaname as she traced the design on her comforter. "It inconveniences everyone. I can't help around the house, so other people have to pick up my chores. You, Masaomi, and Ukyo rearrange your schedules to take care of me, which causes problems for you guys at work. And everyone worries. It's just a mess."
Kaname stayed silent and Ema finally looked up to see him looking very serious. "You are never an inconvenience, Ema," he said. "We rearrange our schedules, do your chores, and worry about you because we love you, not because you're a burden. I know that it can be hard to rely on others, but that's what family is about. We rely on you all the time." Kaname was reminded of Ema's twelfth birthday when they were searching for Wataru and Ema told Kaname not to worry about her because she was used to taking care of herself. He didn't want her to struggle to be independent. He wanted her to be a little selfish and let her brothers spoil her sometimes.
"We're here for you, Ema. So try to rely on us a little more, okay?"
"Well…" Ema began before trailing off.
"Well what?" Kaname asked. "What is it, Ema?"
Ema bit her lip before saying, "If I have to be more open about asking for help, than you have to be that way to." Kaname sat back in surprise and Ema continued before she lost her nerve. "I saw you trying to help Iori get over Fuyaka, and even when he snapped at you, you never complained and never told our other brothers what happened, or tried to push helping Iori off on them. And when Reiko and Ukyo broke up, you were the one who took Ukyo drinking and listened to him. And when Wataru got cut last month and Masaomi couldn't stand the blood, you bandaged Wataru's arm for him. You're always stepping in to help our brothers out, though you never complain about anything bothering you, and I'm sure you must have your troubles too."
Kaname didn't know what to say. Ema continued to surprise him with her powers of observation. He felt a little unnerved about a woman understanding him so well. "I'll try harder too, then. But, you need to remember that it's different for me, Ema. I'm the third oldest while you're the third youngest. It's my job to take care of and watch over the rest of you because of that. You should worry a little less about taking care of your older brothers."
"That I won't promise you," Ema said and Kaname shook his head helplessly, knowing that nothing he said would change her mind.
"You are probably the most amazing woman I know, Imouto-chan."
