Chapter Twelve: Operational Theater

I was looking out my window, watching a flock of birds fly past when my attention was diverted as the door clicked open, and I smiled at the sight of Dr. Fujibayashi entering my room, followed by Drs. Mori and Miyamoto. I had given their proposal a lot of thought, before and after a good night's sleep, and I had come to a decision. "Morning, docs."

"Good morning, Okazaki-san," Dr. Fujibayashi said as he stopped by the head of my bed, the others gathering at the foot. "Do I understand correctly that you've decided?"

"Yes, sir," I replied. "I've decided to go for it. I figure that, even if it fails, I'll at least have helped others down the road."

He smiled warmly as he rested a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you, Okazaki-san; thank you so very much. I…We…can't tell you how much this means to us," he said, indicating his coworkers.

"When should I be ready for the surgery?" I asked.

"This afternoon, unless it would be inconvenient for you," Dr. Mori answered. "We've had the equipment set up for quite a while, now; we've just been waiting for a candidate, if you'll forgive the term."

"No, I understand," I tried to reassure him. "This afternoon should be fine. I'll just need to let everyone know so they don't try to visit."

"We'll let you know about an hour in advance of the procedure," Dr. Fujibayashi said, then gestured to the phone next to my bed. "If you need to get a message to me, just dial '24'. Otherwise, you can use the phone to call your family and friends to update them."

"Do I need to dial anything special to call outside?"

"Just a '7' before the phone number," Dr. Miyamoto told me.

"All right," I said. "Hey, could I get you to move the phone a little bit?"

"Of course." After Dr. Fujibayashi moved the phone to where I could better reach it he asked, "Before we go; do you have any questions for us?"

"I can't think of any, but could I call you if I think of something?"

"Of course," he repeated. "Now, if you will excuse us, we have a surgery to prepare for."

"Don't let me keep you," I said with a smile. "See you later."

As the doctors left the room, I looked over at the phone before carefully reaching over to pick it up. I wasn't sure I remembered Mom and Dad's phone number, so it took me a couple of tries and apologies before I finally heard a familiar voice. "Hello?"

"Hi, Mom."

"Tomoya-san!" she squealed. "Oh, it's so good to hear from you again! Kyou told me that your shoulder was injured again. Are you doing okay?"

"I'm doing fine, all things considered. They've been drugging away the pain, but… Listen, I'm sorry to ask, but could you let Kyou and Ryou and her family know that I'll be going in for surgery later today? I'd call them myself, but I don't have their numbers memorized anymore."

"I told you that you rely on that phone too much," she said in a mock-scolding tone.

"Yeah Mom, I know," I chuckled. "Would you be willing?"

"I'll do it this time, young man, but the next time you end up in the hospital you're on your own," she 'huffed'.

"Thanks," I said. "And if there's any way you could let Ushio know, she's staying with Nagisa's parents at Furukawa Bakery."

"I'll see what I can do. So, you say you're going in for surgery?"

"That's right. They're hoping to fix my shoulder by freezing the damaged tissue and then making my body replace it…or something like that."

"Now that you mention it, Ryu was talking about something similar to that a few months ago. He said the doctors were waiting for a candidate."

"Well, I guess they got one," I told her. "There's a chance I could lose the rest of my arm's mobility, but I figure it's worth the risk."

"From what I understand, volunteers are compensated pretty handsomely, if that helps."

"Yeah, the doctor mentioned that. I just want to do it to get my movement back and, if that fails, at least it won't be for nothing."

"That's very generous of you," she said. "I wish we could instill your generosity in the next generation."

"Th-Thanks," I stammered, uncomfortable with the praise. "A-Anyway, I'm supposed to go in sometime this afternoon."

"Do you know what time?"

"Sorry, no. They couldn't give me an exact time."

"I see. Well, we'll do our best to let everyone know."

"Thanks; I appreciate it."

"Well, I'd better let you go; you have some preparing to do, don't you?"

"Yes, ma'am," I said, smiling to myself.

"Good boy. Good luck with your surgery, and Ryu and I will try to be there to see you when you're done."

"Thanks Mom. See you later, then."

"You, too. Bye for now."

"They'll be here for you in about fifteen minutes, Tomoya-san," Ryou said as she disconnected my empty IV bag.

"Thanks, Ryou," I said. I felt kind of stupid for not thinking to ask her to tell everyone about my surgery. Oh, well… "Am I getting another drug bag, or am I just going to have to tough it before the surgery?"

"You're getting a replacement, don't worry," she giggled. "They'll change out your IV after they take you into the operating room."

"Good," I grunted. "I think I've yelled enough for the time being."

"Are you nervous?" she asked with humor in her tone.

"Not as much as I thought I would be, but yeah," I admitted. "It's neat that-"

I lost my thought as I heard a knock at the door. A moment later it opened, and Chaplain Ashton entered the room. "I just got word," he said, sounding slightly out of breath. "Man, this hospital is bigger than I thought!"

"Are you okay, Ashton-sensei?" Ryou asked with a giggle.

"I'll be fine, thanks," he puffed as he approached my bedside. "Right now, I'm more concerned about Okazaki-san. How are you feeling?"

"A little nervous," I admitted. "It's funny; I was just telling Ryou here that I'm nervous, but not as nervous as I thought I'd be."

"Does that mean you're at peace with your decision?" he asked as Ryou attached the new IV bag.

I had to think about that for a moment. "I'd never really thought about it that way, but…yeah, I guess I am." I thought about it a bit longer, then snorted. "It's not like I'm going to be doing much, anyway; I'll be unconscious."

"Well, do your best to be unconscious," he quipped with a serious expression and a pat to my arm. "I have faith in you."

I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of his statement. "I'll do my best." Then I thought I heard Ryou say something like 'Where are they?', drawing my attention. "Did you say something, Ryou?"

"Huh?" she squeaked with a blush. "I…I was just talking to myself. It's nothing bad; don't worry about it."

"Okay," I replied. "It's just that-"

I was interrupted yet again by another knock at the door, which then opened to reveal the rest of the Hiiragi family along with Kyou. "We got here as quickly as we could!" Kappei exclaimed; even though Kyou and the kids were gasping for breath, he didn't seem the slightest bit winded, a tribute to his former profession. "Are we too late?"

"I'm here," I said, raising my hand as the chaplain exchanged a smile with Kyou before moving to a nearby wall. "Hiiragi, good to see you again."

"Likewise, as always," he replied easily as he reached out to shake my hand; the gesture still took me some getting used to, especially with my left hand. "I was worried that getting the kids would make us miss you, so I'm glad everything worked out."

"Are you nervous, Okazaki-sama?" Mika asked with a worried look as she approached my bedside.

I chuckled at the thought of having to answer the same question over and over again. "I'm going to wait to answer that until they come to take me, okay? That way I can tell everyone at once."

"O-Okay," she said, wringing her hands.

"If I don't get the chance later, I'd like to wish you a successful surgery," Tadashi said with a polite bow; what a remarkable young man.

"Thanks, Tadashi-san," I replied, bowing my head the best I could from my somewhat prone position. "Did Mom and Dad get hold of you, then?"

"Naw," Kappei said with a shake of his head. "Ryou here called and told me about it."

"I thought you should be surrounded by friends before going into something so potentially life-changing," Ryou explained as she approached my bed opposite her family. "Please excuse me; I have to take care of other patients, but I'll be sure to stop by before they come to take you to the operating room."

"Thanks," I told her through a lump in my throat. "For…all this."

She gave me a kind smile. "You're very welcome." With that, she bowed before making her way to the door, closing it quietly behind her as she left.

"You'd better be grateful," Kyou said, apparently having finally caught her breath.

"I am," I replied indignantly. "Didn't you hear me thank her?"

"Yeah, but you didn't give me the chance to say that before you thanked her," she complained.

"That's because Okazaki-sama is a good man, Aunt Kyou," Tadashi stated as Mika nodded.

"You two stay out of this," Kyou mock-scolded as she wagged a finger at them. "And don't contradict your betters."

"Kyou…" Kappei said with a warning tone that contradicted his otherwise pleasant demeanor.

My old sparring partner simply 'humphed' before turning her attention back to me. "Anyway, Ryou worked really hard to make sure we could be here for you."

"Thank you for being here for me," I said before she could go on.

She froze with her mouth open before taking an irritated expression. "Dammit Tomoya, you're making it too hard for me to tease you."

"As it should be," Chaplain Ashton said, making his presence known again. "Are you planning on having any more guests?"

"I wasn't planning on these!" I exclaimed with a chuckle. "Maybe I should've asked Ryou that!"

There was another knock at the door, and we all looked at each other before laughing as Kappei headed over to open the door. "Okazaki, looks like family's here!"

"Oh, my!" I heard Sanae gush. "Are you friends of Tomoya-san?"

"Yes, ma'am," Kappei replied. "Hiiragi Kappei; it's nice to meet you."

"What about me?" a familiar voice complained as Pops followed her through the door. "It's nice to meet me too, right?"

"Of course, sir," Kappei replied, reaching out to give his typical handshake.

"Furukawa Akio."

My heart leaped as I heard Kappei greet my next visitor: "Shio-chan! Hi!"

"H-Hello, Hiiragi-san." She was always a little intimidated by his enthusiasm. "It's good to see you again."

"This room's starting to get full," Chaplain Ashton remarked.

"My, so many people," I heard another voice say, and I felt a chill as my old man entered the room. I hadn't seen him in years, and I'd never thought that I'd see him again. I'd never thought to visit him, and Ushio never asked, so he had basically vanished from my life.

I eyed him cautiously as he approached my bedside. "Hello," I said, more formally than I meant to.

"Hello," he returned, and I was surprised that he didn't call me 'Tomoya-kun'; I'd always hated that, almost as much as I hated him…at least, when I thought about him. "I heard that you were having surgery today, and wanted to be here for you."

"Thank you," I said stiffly. "Who told you about it?"

"I did," Pops said as he moved to Naoyuki's side. "Ushio thought he should know, and Sanae and I agreed."

"It's been a long time," my old man said as he appeared to study me. "How have you been? Other than your present circumstance, that is?"

"Fine."

"Okazaki-san," Chaplain Ashton interjected, "why are you talking to your father like that?"

I shifted my gaze to his concerned face. "This is the guy who busted my shoulder back when I was in middle school." I heard several gasps in the room, but I didn't care; the guy had wrecked my chances of a basketball career, and I wasn't feeling too charitable at the moment. "I'm hoping this surgery will undo what he did."

"What you both did," he said gently. "It takes two to fight."

"Whatever," I grumbled.

"Tomoya, you're sounding like a child," Kyou scolded.

"I…can see that my presence here is going to be a problem," the old man said as he left my bedside and headed for the door. "I'll just be on my way."

The door had barely clicked shut before Kyou whirled on me with angry eyes. "You're a real asshole, you know that?"

"Mind your own business, Kyou," I snapped.

"Please," the chaplain said with his hands raised, "I'm sure there's more to this than any of us know about, so please show Okazaki-san some grace."

"Why should we?" Kyou challenged.

"Because we haven't lived his life, gone through what he's gone through," Chaplin Ashton replied calmly. "I said what I did only because it's a general truism."

Kyou scoffed, but relented. "Fine."

"I admit that I'm alarmed at your behavior," Sanae said, looking at me with worried eyes. "But the chaplain is right; I don't know enough about you to say anything."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Ushio said, her voice barely above a whisper as she approached me. "I didn't mean to ruin your day; I really thought it'd be good for Grandpa Okazaki to be here, to support you."

I looked around at the concerned expressions on everyone's faces, then looked down in shame. "I'm sorry, everybody; I shouldn't have acted that way. My problems with him are my problems, and I shouldn't have aired them in front of you."

"Humph," Pops grunted as he headed toward the door. "I'll be right back."

"Okazaki-sama? Don't you love your dad?" Mika asked with worried eyes as the door closed. "Didn't he take care of you when you were a boy?"

"Now is not the time for that discussion," Chaplain Ashton said carefully. "We are here to support him as he goes in for surgery, not to…" He paused, as though trying to find the right words. "…cause him more stress."

"You're right, sir," Tadashi said. "Let's hope for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery."

"Thanks, Tadashi," I said, warmed by his words.

"I hope for a successful surgery, too," Mika said from next to her dad, who nodded.

"You've got this, Okazaki," he added with a cocky grin. "You'll do just fine." He then looked over at his sister-in-law with a meaningful look.

"I'm still going to be mad at you, Tomoya," Kyou finally huffed, "but I hope everything turns out okay."

"Thanks, Kyou," I said. "Thanks for wanting the best for me even though I pissed you off."

She simply 'humphed' as she crossed her arms, causing the Hiiragi children to chuckle quietly.

The air of tension was broken by the sound of the door nearly slamming open. "Is he here?" I heard the booming voice of Fujibayashi Ryu bellow as he and Mom hurried into the room.

"Right here, Dad," I said, raising my hand.

"'Dad'?," the chaplain echoed.

"There's a bit of a story behind that," I said as Dad and Mom Fujibayashi made their way through the growing crowd to my bed. "Looks like you did more than just let them know," I quipped when they got close enough.

"We thought you should have loved ones around before going in for such a life-changing procedure," Mom explained as Dad stopped to hug his grandchildren.

"So you're the reason everyone's here?" Chaplain Ashton asked.

"We thought of coming just by ourselves," Dad explained as he joined us; it was getting harder to hear with all the chatting going on in the background. "Jeff, good to see you again and thanks for all you do for the hospital."

"Glad to help," the chaplain said as he and Dad shook hands. "I live to serve."

"You sure do," Dad chuckled.

I must have missed the knock at the door, but out of the comer of my eye I saw it open to reveal a couple of younger men dressed in blue, and I realized that they must have been sent to take me to the operating room. "I think they're ready for me," I told Dad.

He briefly glanced over his shoulder at the pair, then turned towards the other visitors. "Hey, quiet please!" he boomed. Once the room was quiet he continued. "The crew is here to move Tomoya, so if you could please clear a path, I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

"Before he goes…" Chaplain Ashton said with a raised finger before looking down at me. "Before you go in, Okazaki-san, I would like your permission to pray over you."

I took a moment to look around the room; I guess I wanted some idea of what everyone else thought. Other than Kyou's look of disgust, presumably with me, everyone had supportive expressions. "Sure, go ahead," I finally replied.

"Thank you; I'll keep it short." Like last time, he rested one hand on me, on my injured shoulder this time, and raised the other toward the ceiling, and the closed his eyes. Just for the hell of it, I closed mine as well. "Lord Jesus, thank you for surrounding Okazaki Tomoya with loving friends and family as he goes in for a life-changing surgery; let them be your way to richly bless him. Let your peace be upon him and let him know that you love him regardless of his physical ability. You hold life, death, and health in your hands, Lord Jesus, and I ask that you bless Okazaki with restored health. May your will be done in this, and all things." I felt the pressure leave my shoulder, so I opened my eyes to find him smiling down at me. "God be with you, Okazaki-san."

"Thanks," I said as I blinked a tear away, oddly moved by his prayer as the attendants worked to unlock the wheels to my bed.

"Hey, Tomoya."

I looked over to Kyou, who watched me with slightly puffy and reddened eyes. "Sorry about that. I hope everything turns out okay." She reached out a hand, which I took. "I know this isn't life-or-death, but I'm still going to worry about you, okay?"

"Thanks," I said with a small smile. "See you on the other side."

"Yeah," she said through a strained voice as she stepped aside, moving to the chaplain's side.

As the attendants wheeled me from the room, Ushio suddenly appeared at my side and kissed me on the cheek. "Good luck, Daddy."

I flashed everyone a 'victory' sign as I was wheeled out of the room.

"Nice having so many people who care about you, huh?" one of the attendants asked as they wheeled me down the hallway.

I thought of Pops and Sanae, and the Hiiragis, and Mom and Dad Fujibayashi, Kyou and Ushio, all wishing the best for me. And Chaplain Ashton; even though we barely knew each other, I felt like he really cared about my well-being. "Yeah..."

They wheeled me into what I assumed was the operating room, where Drs. Fujibayashi, Mori, and Miyamoto waited. They were wearing surgical masks, but had them pulled down. "Good afternoon, Okazaki-san," Dr. Fujibayashi greeted. "Are you ready?"

"Is it too late to go to the bathroom?" I quipped, causing the trio to chuckle. "Seriously, I didn't think to ask, but; will I be awake for the surgery?"

"No," Dr. Mori said with a shake of his head. "Due to the somewhat invasive nature of the surgery, we will be using a general anesthetic."

"That's fine; I'd probably be bored, anyway," I joked, trying to ignore a lingering fear. "Well, whenever you're ready, then; hit me."

The doctors pulled up their masks, covering the lower part of their faces, and Dr. Fujibayashi nodded to a young woman. "Go ahead."

She was wearing a mask as well, but I could see a smile behind it as she approached me with what I recognized as a breathing mask. "So what we're going to do is put this over your mouth and nose and have you count backwards from ten to one."

"Okay."

"I'll be monitoring your vitals from here," she added, indicating a box containing a series of small monitors, dials, and switches.

"Understood."

The mask was carefully strapped on, and the girl checked to make sure I had a good seal. Apparently satisfied, she gave me a thumbs-up. "When I tell you to, start counting backwards from ten to one."

"Okay."

She pressed a button on the box and adjusted a clip on the tubing leading up to my mask. "Okay, start counting down from ten to one."

I closed my eyes and started the countdown: "Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one." I opened my eyes to find myself in a different room. It wasn't my regular room, though; this one looked more like a suite, with a small kitchen area. I could also see a door that led to a full bathroom. My shoulder felt achy, too. "What the…?"

A door clicked to my left, and I looked in time to see Dr. Fujibayashi enter. "Ah! You're awake."

"What do you mean?" I demanded. "And where am I? I counted down from ten like I was told to and somehow ended up here!"

"Calm down, please," he said, raising his hands in a placating gesture as he headed toward me. "That you don't remember anything means that the anesthetic worked just like it was supposed to."

"What do you mean?" I repeated, starting to feel more confused than angry.

"We have to regulate the level of anesthetic used, to keep you unconscious without harming you," he explained. "It's normal for people to have no memory of falling unconscious."

"All right," I grumbled, still feeling a little disoriented. "Was the operation a success? How long did it take?"

"Three hours, and this part was successful, yes," he said with a smile.

"This part?"

"This surgery was just to remove the damaged tissue, remember?" he said with a look of mild confusion. "It was in the paperwork you signed."

I decided not to tell him that I hadn't read the whole thing since they seemed trustworthy. In hindsight, I could have saved myself some stress. "Okay, doc; sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it, Okazaki-san. Believe me, I've dealt with worse."

"That's good to know," I sighed. "Well, what's the next step?"

"The next step is: You come back in about a week for the first of your tissue-stimulation sessions."

I blinked. "Sessions? As in more than one? How many are we talking, here?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "Since this is still an experimental procedure, I can't say how long this could take. What I can say, however, is that we will continue the treatment until either your range of movement is restored or we find that the stimulations are having no effect."

"I got it, doc. Thanks."

"How are you feeling?"

I tried to move my shoulder only to find that nothing happened. "A little panicky," I admitted. "You plan on sending me home like this?"

"We'll be fitting you with a special harness to immobilize your arm and hold it to your body for the duration of your treatments. Or longer, if…yeah."

I didn't need it spelled out for me. "Can I go back to work?"

He nodded thoughtfully. "You have a desk job, right?"

"Right."

"I don't see why not, but you'll have to do pretty much everything with your left arm; I wouldn't even trust the hand at this point due to the disconnected tissue."

"Fair enough," I grunted. "Do you know if any of my friends are still here?"

"They were, last I checked," he said, then chuckled. "In fact, your daughter interrogated me from the moment she saw me up until just before I entered your room."

"That sounds like her," I chuckled. "Can I see her?"

"How funny; it's usually the other way around," he chuckled. "Of course, but since you've haven't been out of surgery for very long I'd like any visits kept short, and to a minimum number of people."

"Fine with me," I grunted. "I'm feeling pretty tired, anyway."

"I'll go get your daughter," he said as he headed back toward the door and out. About a minute later, the door opened again, and-

"Daddy!" Ushio cried as she ran to throw herself on me. Past her, I could see Sanae lean on the wall next to the door with a small smile as she watched.

"Hey, sweetie," I murmured as I caressed her hair using my good arm. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Sorry to keep all of you waiting."

"It's okay," she muffled, her face buried in the sheets that covered me. "I know you weren't sick or anything, but I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks," I said feeling the warmth of her words. "Is everyone still out there?"

She nodded. "Grandpas Furukawa and Fujibayashi and Kappei-sama have been talking, while my grandmas and Aunt Ryou and Kyou-sensei have been talking, too."

"Were you spending time with Mika-san and Tadashi-san, then?" I asked, still stroking her hair.

She nodded again. "They're sooo much fun! I should invite her to eat with us at school."

"Well, I think she has her own group she eats with, but you could still have that discussion," I said. "What about Chaplain Ashton?"

"He's so funny," she said, wrinkling her nose. "He spent the whole time kneeling in front of one of the chairs, leaning on the seat with his hands clasped and his eyes closed."

"Sounds like he might have been praying," I remarked.

"Maybe. He and Grandpa Okazaki looked almost like bookends."

"Bookends? You mean my old man was out there too?"

"Yup!" she chirped. "He was right there next to the chaplain."

Was my old man…praying for me? "Weird…"

"Excuse me," Sanae said as she headed our way. "Is there anyone else you'd like to see? Akio and I need to go home pretty soon, but I'd be willing to send someone else in."

"I should probably get some sleep," I said, stretching my good arm as I suddenly felt tired. "Could you thank everyone for being here for me?"

"Of course!" she said, beaming brightly. "Sleep well, Tomoya-san. Ushio; shall we go?"

"Yes, Grandma," my daughter replied with a glance over her shoulder before looking back to me. "Daddy?"

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"I…look forward to going through the counseling with you," she whispered. "I'm…sorry for what I did, and I look forward to being a family again." She gave me a peck on the cheek – the cheek! – before hurrying over to Sanae to follow her out the door, giving me a small wave as she left.

Feeling unusually relieved, I settled back into my pillow and allowed myself to drift into a peaceful sleep.