XXX
Note: Hi! Oh wow, stunned at everyone's feedback at chapter4, haha! I loved that chapter too, had a great time writing that one, laughing at myself as well and feeling giggly at their conversations; imagining the two of them, haha! I'm feeling a bit anxious now about this chapter, I don't think it'll be at par with the previous. :D
Warning: Grammatical errors, self-edit only. And—quite lengthy, make sure you're not at work. :D
Part 5- Teacher RuRu
Monday, Sunnybrook Middle School, 2:00 PM
Rukawa stifled a yawn as he lazily scribbled something on the board, his eyes drooping and teary but his mind is willing. It is his second to the last class on that day and even if he wanted to pull the time to get the day done and over with, he just cant. Two hours from now, their school is going to have that practice game with Aidan and every faculty member was informed by the principal to cancel their last classes so that the students could cheer and watch the game. Some faculty member obliged but he decided not to because the final trimester is fast approaching and he still needs to cover a few more important topics.
He saw disappointment in their eyes when he arrived in that class; the students groaned and scratched their heads as they heavily opened their notebooks and books and prepared to answer Rukawa's seatwork. Rukawa on the other hand, muffled another yawn—lifting his left hand in an attempt to cover his mouth and wiping his eyes as he continued writing on the board. Dammit, I shouldn't have gone out last night. His mind berated him, remembering his 'coffee' (yet again) meeting with his college teammate—Sendoh Akira.
His mind wandered off to last night's events and immediately paused at the part where Sendoh spilled everything. Rukawa cant say that he's not surprised to hear of the older guy's tale; its probably true when they say that everyone is carrying a burden we all know nothing about and for that—he suddenly thought Sendoh earned his respect for seemingly able to carry it well. His mind wandered off to Cole's mother and while its not appropriate to pass judgement to others, he cant help but to wonder how some people can be heartless sometimes.
"Sensei… sensei…"
Rukawa gasp a bit, turning his head to his left, blinking. A student has her hand raised. Rukawa nodded.
The student slowly pointed at the door to which Rukawa looked on and to his surprised—he blinked and scoffed lightly. It was the old lady principal. Rukawa placed down his chalk and dusted off his hands as he walked slowly and out of the classroom—instantly he can hear his student's excited murmurs. The old lady grinned in front of him. "Rukawa-sensei…" She started.
Rukawa nodded. "Madam principal…" He started in his soft voice. The old lady smiled. "Are you done with your class?" Rukawa sighed. "I'm just giving them a short seatwork and an assignment." He paused. "I still have my last class at 2:35pm, maam." He informed the shorter lady. The old lady nodded and kept the smile on her face. Rukawa took note that their principal seemed to be 'dressed' a tad bit nicely and he knew of course—Aidan's principal would be coming to watch as well. Rukawa would have rolled his eyes but he was too sleepy.
"Well, I'm just reminding you that you can continue but you have to dismiss them early. Your last class is with your advisory section, if I'm not mistaken?" The old lady is sharp as a needle. Rukawa nodded. She smiled. "Just hand them an assignment and dismissed them—Cole Sendoh is in your class, is he not? He's the team's star player, right?" She grinned and waived off as she strutted down the aisle. Rukawa simply blinked and snorted. Star player, huh. Rukawa shook his head and went back in—his class immediately sat upright and stopped their chatters.
He has seen the boy play—he's got the skill but he still has yet to see Aidan. He heard it has a good team. He momentarily looked at them as they pretended to answer his seatwork with false eagerness. He would have chuckled to see their amusing fake faces of 'enthusiasm' but he held it off. He took a glance on his watch and sighed.
A few minutes more of pen tapping, and leg shaking from the students, Rukawa pushed himself off the chair and stood up. "Uh… so what number are you all in now?" He queried, his voice resonating within the four walls of the classroom.
"Four…"
"Four…"
"Five…"
"Three…"
"Five…"
"One…"
Some giggled and looked at each other. Rukawa has written ten questions. He nodded and eyed the students who were busily trying to answer everything—their pens making a scratching sound on their paper; some even using white ink to erase their answers. Rukawa sighed. "Alright, just answer up to question number 5 and…"
The students squealed, clapped and hooted as they all cheered. Rukawa twitched his lips and scratched his forehead. "Hey, quiet." He commanded. Instantly, the class shushed. "I'm not done yet…" Rukawa muttered. He stood up. "…so copy the rest of the questions on a separate paper, it'll be your assignment, to be passed on Wednesday. Are we clear?" The students nodded and answered a resounding 'yes'; they all went back to finishing their seatwork as they copied the rest.
A few minutes more and they all started standing up to pass their papers, smiles and excitement etched on their faces. Rukawa simply instructed them to place their papers atop his desk as he gathered his things and closes his laptop. Soon, the room was empty, as he, too, exited and head straight to the faculty room.
Class 10-4, 2:35 PM
Rukawa yawned as he clutches his things, feeling his eyes heavy as he walked towards his last and final class—his own advisory to be exact. He walked inside and his students stood up, with Naomi leading on. "Good afternoon, Rukawa-sensei." They all greeted and bowed. Rukawa simply bowed back and instantly the students readied their pens and notebook. Rukawa placed his things atop the table, sighed and is about to start speaking when Naomi stood up with a paper on her hand.
"Attendance, Rukawa-sensei." She nodded, adjusted her glasses and smiled. Rukawa blinked his eyes, surprised at the piousness of his class president. He looked at her and raised a brow. "Principal told me to write down the attendance sensei, so you could dismiss us early." She grinned as the whole class chuckled. "She said, since most of the team members are in your class, this is to save time, Rukawa-sensei."
Rukawa blinked, surprised at how can a practice game seemed suddenly like some championship match. He snorted and stared at the attendance then at his class of twenty-five. "Oh really…" He paused. "I supposed principal would be playing as well, today huh." The students blinked and they all laughed. Cole, surprised, chuckled as well—his lips forming a smile as his eyes crinkled, amused at Rukawa's sarcastic humor. Rukawa snorted a bit but he tugged his lips upward. "Shooting guard, probably." He added—the students laughed and cheered, imagining the somewhat plump old lady dribbling a ball.
"Point guard, sensei." A student muttered; the whole class looked at the seemingly-naughty kid. Rukawa raised a brow. The student grinned. "Will be pointing at everyone on what to do." The students laughed. Rukawa shook his head and raised his hand to signal them to tone down.
The students looked back at him, smiles on their faces; his eyes befell at the further back—at Cole who was simply looking back at him with that Sendoh-smile of his. He took note of the other three members of the basketball team, they were sitting rather calmly- one grinning, and the other two looking passive as if just waiting for their class to finished.
Rukawa placed down the attendance paper and started opening his laptop; the students groaned a bit, trust Rukawa-sensei to not a give a damn even if its an earthquake. Naomi simply shrugged and prepared herself for a surprised quiz or whatever; she's up for it. Rukawa sat down and browse on his laptop, his eyes darting from time to time to his class who were sitting quietly, some reviewing, some chatting, some busy on their phones—he looked at Cole who was sitting on the back corner, the kid looking at the window to his left, a smile on his face.
Rukawa's mind wandered yet again from last night's event. His mind particularly stopping at a certain part—Cole's mother. He now knew where Cole got some of his looks; his mother is attractive; any guy would be interested in her and it just so happened that some guy he knew, did. And by the name of Sendoh Akira. Rukawa wondered the truthfulness of Sendoh's words.
She never wanted him. Abortion. She never wanted him. I am no saint, Rukawa. Not everyone loves their children. She left me, us. She left me. I begged her to stay. Begged. She never wanted… abortion. I did… I did love her. Love isn't enough. Love isn't… Love is…
A few minutes more and the students seemed ready for Rukawa's quiz or whatever he has installed for them; they sat upright, tapping their pens, glancing at their watches, waiting in anticipation. Rukawa's eyes were fixated on his laptop screen but he isn't really scrolling or typing anything—his eyes are just focused on the keyboard, his mind in a bit of disarray.
And with one final decision, he heaved a sigh and stood up and walked around. Eyes followed him as he leaned back on his desk. The students wondered if it is going to be a dictation type of quiz—they secretly prayed that it isn't. Cole readied his pen and paper, his blue-eyes fixated on his teacher; their eyes met. His and Rukawa's. Cole smiled, like he usually does and blinked his eyes in surprise when Rukawa stared back at him.
Cole knew that Rukawa's presence sometimes seemed to make him feel edgy, maybe it's Rukawa's familiarity—somehow reminds him of his own Dad; so maybe that is the reason why he's mostly feeling a tad bit engrossed at his English teacher. Aside also from the fact that Rukawa's undeniably striking features is hard to miss—to everyone mostly.
Cole swallowed involuntarily and stared at his empty paper—suddenly feeling shy that he had been staring upright at Rukawa. He glanced at his watch and instantly his mind began to wander if his father would be attending. He remembered informing him this morning and while Sendoh simply nodded, ruffled his hair and kissed his head, his father didn't say anything as he hurriedly scampered his way at the hospital.
"Well…" Rukawa started as the students blinked their eyes in surprise. "You're supposed to have a long seatwork today." The students started smiling. Rukawa snorted as he crosses his arms—his eyes darting at everyone but mostly to his student players. "But you're all probably anxious already to get out of this room." The students chuckled, Rukawa couldn't be righter.
"I remember back when I was in high school, an old coach of mine would always tell me that me I play well. That I am good." He started; the students sit back and listened. Cole paid attention. Rukawa fidgeted a bit as he continues to lean back on his desk. "I thought so too." He paused, eyes flickering on the floor. "So, I played as if I owned the ball, and the court, my crib." Some students smiled. Rukawa tugged the corner of his lip up.
"Until one day, I had the chance to play with someone who's particularly tougher and better than me. In all ways. He was faster, a straight shooter—calm, collected… but mostly, stronger." He stated as if he could picture the person he's referring to. Cole blinked his eyes but kept them focus upfront. His mind is wondering if he knows the person Rukawa is referring to.
"To sum it up, my old coach then told me that I am inferior in terms of this person's skill and that until I learn how to commit myself to group effort, no matter how good I am, I will lose." Rukawa eyed his student players, he pushed himself off the desk and stood up straight.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that—a team is not made up of just one person; it's a group made up of many hands—and one mind." He ended his statement with a nod and a stare to the basketball players sitting on the back and they all understood. Cole nodded his head and smiled—he understood. His teacher just gave them some encouraging words and for that, he is grateful. And in that bleak of a moment, even when unsure if his father would be attending his game or not, Cole knew he is not alone.
XXX
Meadow Valley Hospital, Monday, 10:00 AM (Earlier that day), 12th floor
Sendoh pressed his pointer and instantly, the white screen behind him turned up on a certain slide. He moved away from the podium and walked on one side, one hand in his white coat, a smile on his lips as he faced a small crowd of fifteen aspiring interns. The younger doctors were seated properly, serious and wearied faces on, because most of them has been going 24/7 on duty; the stress and tediousness of the path they have chosen is evident under their eyes as they readied their pens and notebooks.
"So, we're going to talk about some basic heart procedures and surgeries…" Sendoh started, pressing his pointer again, looking at the screen then to the silent crowd. He blinked his eyes and partly remembered his residency days. He would have smiled, but he knew what they're feeling. It was never easy being the lowest specie in the food chain. He dumped a sigh and wondered what to say to perk them up. "Anyone here who's got a kid?" He suddenly blurted out. The interns looked at each other and shrugged. Sendoh was surprised—but he smiled.
"So… I'm the only flirt here, huh?" A smile. The interns started laughing and chatting to themselves. Sendoh grinned.
"I remember my residency days, there was a time I had to bring my son with me." Some interns gasped, some nodded, gaining a new profound interest at the doctor assigned to deliver their symposium that day. Sendoh smiled.
"How young are you then, doc?" A female intern asked. Her friends nudged her and giggled. Sendoh grinned. "Too young to be called Dad." They all laughed.
"So, can we call you Daddy now?" A female intern followed up. They all laughed and hooted, obviously her query being suggestive. Sendoh chuckled and shook his head, aware at the amusing philander. He stared hard at the female intern making her flushed a bit. "Call me Doctor." He smiled. The interns giggled instead but nodded.
"Where'd you put him, doc?" Another intern asked. Some chuckled. Sendoh grinned. "I carried him with me, good thing he was behaved and fed." They all chortled. Sendoh paused, reminiscing that particular day, and was glad that his senior consultant that day, who was a middle-aged man was understanding enough to let him and Cole who was just a year old then, in. "It was tough. If you'd asked me, tougher than studying. Why? Because it's the responsibility that goes with it that is hard." The crowd was silent but they felt the weight of his words.
Sendoh smiled as he leaned on the podium. "I know how you all feel—been there. And while certain situations may change us, we should refuse to be reduced by it. I'm not going to stand here and tell you all that life is going to be easier from hereon. You're all going to work your way up; you're going to learn resiliency—and that is accepting your new reality, even if its less good than the one you had before." He stated, his deep and manly voice resonating. The interns looked a tad bit thoughtful. Sendoh smiled.
"I know because—I had to accept mine. So, no matter what happens, of how bad it seems today, life goes on but do remember that it will be better tomorrow." He nodded and smiled. The aspiring young doctors were silent but they were partly enlightened, but most importantly, they are more than glad that they weren't alone on their journey.
A few minutes more…
"And so… how does angioplasty works?" Sendoh continued, clearing his throat as he pointed his laser on the white screen. "Special tubing with an attached deflated balloon… is threaded up to the coronary arteries. The balloon is inflated to widen blocked areas where blood flow to the heart muscle has been reduced or cutoff…" Sendoh continued explaining as they all watched the video animation.
11:30 am
"So, group yourselves in threes and I'll be assigning topics for you to discuss upfront— state simply the basic procedures, reasons for the procedure and medications."
"How do you want us to be grouped, doc?" An intern asked. Some laughed. Sendoh shrugged. "Suit yourselves—by friends, by enemies… your exes?" They all laughed. Sendoh smirked. The crowd started moving while chatting and laughing.
He heaved a sigh while looking at his laptop; the crowd writing and starting to group themselves. "Right, so—just easy-peasy, no need to hyperventilate." They all laughed at him. Sendoh grinned. "Coffee break everyone."
Sendoh stated and the younger doctors started standing up, stretching their hands, arms, and neck as they chatted and head towards the table with the prepared food. Sendoh stood up as soon as he finished writing the topics on five pieces of paper and started handing them out to the young interns.
His scheduled symposium ended at 2:00 PM and Sendoh found himself walking back to his office, checking on his phone while clutching a file folder and his laptop on the other hand. Arriving in front of his office, he pushed the door open and greeted by Yayoi. "Done with your symposium?" She grinned.
Sendoh nodded and smiled. "Yes." Yayoi chuckled. "I bet the interns harassed you again?" She chided playfully. Sendoh chuckled as he opened a file cabinet. "Well, I have to admire the effort—but they were all finally behave when I started asking questions with regards to their reports." Yayoi laughed and slap the taller person on the back with a folder. Sendoh simply shrugged. "By the way, Aida-san…"
The secretary paused as she was checking something on the folder and looked up. Sendoh leaned on the file cabinet. "Did you cancel my afternoon appointments?" Yayoi nodded. "Yeah, I did. Emailed everyone. Did everything since last night, you did say you're leaving early today, right?" She paused. "Oh my God, are you going on a date?! Since when?!" She shrieked as she placed a folder on her flushed face. Sendoh simply scoffed and smirked. "I'll be at Sunnybrook, my son has an important event there today." He muttered, glancing at his watch.
Yayoi smiled and gushed. "Aww, you're… you've changed! Awww…" She giggled and playfully slaps continuously Sendoh on the back with a folder. "H-hey, Aida-san…" Sendoh exclaimed.
"I'm so proud of you… you think I don't notice how you seemed to be having more time now with your son and getting involve with his activities and all. Aww…you're sweet." She gushed endlessly, her face burning. Sendoh simply snorted and rolled his eyes, chuckling a bit before finally stopping their mild craziness when the phone rang in his office. Yayoi straightened up and answered the phone. Sendoh went back to checking something in the file cabinet.
"Yes, doctor's office?" A pause. Sendoh eyed Yayoi a bit before locking the file cabinet close. Yayoi nodded, her face turning a bit serious—then passive—then nodding. "Yes… yes, but… he doesn't have a clinic this afternoon… okay… yes… I'll asked him… huh? No? Alright, I'll tell him. Thank you, Doc." Yayoi placed the phone down and eyed Sendoh who was leaning on one corner, brows raised, both hands in his white coat.
"Well?" Sendoh queried. Yayoi snorted. "Why are you so damn good-looking?" She joked. Sendoh rolled his eyes. "Aida-san…" He muttered. Yayoi chuckled. "It's the chief of cardio, he's asking if you could post today at the emergency room for an hour—says they're pretty understaff there today and they could use a cardio down there." Yayoi drearily informed him. Sendoh wasn't really surprised but he also knew that once he starts to post at ER, there might be a big chance that he'd be staying for more than an hour.
Sendoh sighed and shook his head. Yayoi looked on a bit worried too. "I could tell him that you've head along." Sendoh shook his head and glanced once more at his watch. He needs to depart the hospital at four pm. "No, its okay—I can post for at least two hours, just call back chief and tell him I'm on my way but I cannot stay beyond four. Call ER too." Yayoi nodded and simply looked on as Sendoh grabbed his stethoscope and exited his office.
XXX
ER. Emergency department—a department in the hospital that facilitates in specializing the acute care of patients who present without prior appointments, either by means of themselves or thru an ambulance. Technically, it is where the action is found most of the times, and often termed as well as the primary care center.
The elevator door opened and out came Sendoh, hands inside his pocket as his eyes surveyed the big ER room. Obviously enough, it's busy. Several curtains were lined either opened, some were closed as ER staff, patients, and random people walked around. ER doctors where busy attending to some of the more severe cases while some patients waited to be attended to.
Sendoh walked at the main station and paused as he leaned in front of the person whom he knows of personally. The head nurse of the ER department, a high school classmate of him. "Wow, what brings you here, man?" He muttered, eyes busy typing on the computer as he pushed his chair back, stood up, passed on the chart to an attending doctor. "Uh, he's on bed seven, doc. Lab results are in." The doctor nodded and walked off towards the bed.
He dumped a sigh and went back on his desk to grab another chart, but not before looking up to meet Sendoh's eyes. "Busy day eh, Kicchou?" Sendoh grinned. Fukuda Kicchou simply smirked and shrugged. "Nothing I cant handle. This is my playground. Watcha doing here anyway?" He stated as he sat back down to work and chat.
Sendoh shrugged. "The chief sent me, told me you guys needed help." Fukuda snorted and chuckled. "Understatement of the year. Who says we need help; we're fucking immortals, man."
Sendoh chuckled. "So, got a patient for me?"
Fukuda nodded and grab a specific chart, stood up. "Yeah actually, he's on bed number nine—76, male, long history of angina and hypertension; he came here with chest pain a few minutes ago and shortness of breath…" Fukuda trailed off. Sendoh nodded, eyes scanning the chart and without much further ado, grabbed the chart and walked towards the patient. He introduced himself and examined the patient, placing his stethoscope on top of his chest; he noticed the old man pale and diaphoretic.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Sendoh Akira, your attending today… may I have your name?" A smile. The old lady nodded, and smiled at Sendoh's calm demeanour; the patient, the old man who was lying down smiled weakly and tried to lift a hand weakly. "Ma-Matsumoto… Junya." A pause. "Its painful here… up to here…" He stated, pointing from his chest to his left arm then to his jaw. His wife gently caressed his other hand. Sendoh nodded, assessed the patient for awhile, nodding and deciding finally to get the works done in support of his initial prognosis in mind.
Sendoh called in a nurse and ordered for some laboratory tests to be done. He was surprised when Fukuda stepped in. "Get me a Troponin I and CKMB, STAT." Sendoh stated. "Sure." Fukuda nodded and walked back briskly to his station.
"Doc, when can we go home?" The old lady asked. Sendoh heaved a sigh and smiled. "We need to get his laboratory works done first, maam. Only then we can decide as to what to do." The old lady nodded and stared at his husband who simply nodded back. Sendoh placed his hand atop the old man. "Matsumoto-san, you need to rest and stay calm for now, okay. I ordered a blood test, soon a phlebotomist will be here to get blood from you."
And so, as he reassured the relative and the patient, Sendoh then, went head on to check the others. His eyes briefly looked onto his watch and he secretly prayed that the wave of incoming patients would at least slow down for the next thirty minutes.
XXX
Monday, 3:30 PM, Sunnybrook
Naomi stood on the empty corridor of the seventh floor, eyes fixated on her celphone as she presses randomly on the screen, her eyes would blink—she would smile and go back to being passive as she quietly amuses herself with editing and changing her phone's wallpaper. Its been thirty-minutes since they were dismissed by Rukawa and instantly everyone scampered through the corridors and head straight to the gym. Aidan basketball team has arrived and everyone, literally, is probably in the gym already, eager to witness the much-awaited practice match.
Aware that basketball is probably one of the famous sports in her school, she's not the type to be overly enthusiastic about it, even if the so-called tenth-grade's star player happens to be her classmate. Naomi stared at her phone and her new wallpaper, adjusted her sliding glasses and smiled—contented at her weekly new wallpaper of her English teacher—the perks of sitting in front and having to take a few secret and candid snapshots of her good-looking class adviser.
Pushing herself off the wall, she walked quietly back to their classroom to get her things and to file the short seatwork given still by Rukawa at them. She entered the room and gasped softly to see a classmate of hers, writing as fast as he can to copy the rest of the notes on board. Naomi blinked, her passive but sharp pair of brown eyes fixated at the familiar figure; she snorted softly and went inside the room, got the papers atop her desk and started sorting each paper out alphabetically.
"A-anou, I'm almost done… Ayano-kun." The familiar voice of her classmate. Naomi simply looked up while sorting papers and met eyes with her classmate. "There." He pushed himself off the chair, stood up and approached their class president. Naomi blinked as a paper was handed to her and as she looked up, she met the gaze of Cole Sendoh—a smile on his face. "Arigato, Ayano-kun." He nodded as Naomi simply got his paper and nodded back, not really knowing what to say.
Cole went back to his seat as he hurriedly stuff everything on his back. "Cole, what the heck man—hurry up! Everyone's down already!" A teammate/classmate of him hollered, earning Naomi's crude stare. Cole nodded. "Yeah, I'm coming!" Cole hollered as he changed into his PE uniform. Naomi paid no heed as she simply checked and arranged the papers, determined to finish and head towards the faulty room with much eagerness.
"Ayano-kun…"
Naomi paused, staring passively and almost expressionlessly at Sendoh Cole who was about to exit their room. He smiled. "Thanks again for your hardwork." Naomi gasps a bit, surprised, not expecting to be complimented by tenth grades popular student, she furrowed her brows, snorted and nodded. "Aa." She muttered softly. Cole smiled and sweatdropped—Naomi's always been the studious and the serious one in their class. While she occasionally chats with everyone, Cole seldom sees her in a group or with someone. But she's really academically unprecedented. At least, that's what he thinks. With a sigh, Cole was ready to exit the room when he halted.
"Sendoh-kun."
Cole stopped and saw Naomi, standing up pointing something on the board then to his paper. "You forgot to copy the last part." She stated in her low but soft voice. Cole's eyes widened as he jogged back, grabbed his paper, stared at the board then back at his paper. He clacked his tongue and is now very much in panic as he dumped his bag and ransacked it to find his pen. Naomi simply looked on at the taller, and good-looking classmate of hers.
"Kso…" Cole cursed mildly, seemingly cant find his pen. "Leave it be. I'll write it." Cole paused and looked at his right as Naomi got her pen and held out her hand. "The team is waiting for you." She said almost monotonously, her face, expressionless as she arranged her glasses. Cole nodded as he handed his paper back to her.
"A-arigatou, Ayano-kun. I'm sorry for troubling you." Cole muttered as he pulled his bag behind him; standing up straight, eyes warm and incredibly grateful. "I promise to pay you back a favor." Naomi paused writing and stared at her classmate. "You can pay me back today, Sendoh-kun." Cole blinked, surprised and wondering. Naomi tugged her lips upward, amusing Cole. "Go out there and defeat Aidan." She muttered in her soft and monotonous voice. Cole blinked—not really knowing what to say, he simply smiled back and nodded. "Aye-aye, kaichou." He playfully muttered and winked.
Naomi gasp and felt blood creeping on her ears as she went back to writing, while adjusting her glasses. "Ch… baka." Cole simply chuckled and waved off as he exited the room. Naomi paused writing when she was left alone at the room, her eyes staring at the door where her classmate had just left.
XXX
4:00 PM, Sunnybrook, GYM
The gym was filled with Sunnybrook students, mostly from the tenth grade as they all chatted, cheered, hooted, laugh, and filled the class gym with various noises. Phones clicking nonstop as groups and individual students alike take a snap of their pictures together with friends. Some were eating as they chat endlessly and laugh and slap each other playfully. Others sat quietly and discussed the odds of the game. Music was being played in the background and some were singing along to the sound of contemporary artists of their generation. To sum it up, excitement filled the air as they all await.
Soon after, their principal sashayed her way at the center of the court and instantly the students clapped and hooted. "To our distinguished guests, Principal Reiko of Aidan, students of Aidan, faculty, students of Sunnybrook, faculty members, and everyone else, good afternoon…" She smiled and greeted and began her short speech, thanking Aidan and its principal and the whatnots.
A few more minutes, the game is about to start. Coach Takato and the coach of Aidan stood up, smiled and waved as they were both introduced and in no time at all—the student players one by one were presented. Cheers and claps erupted especially when Cole's name was called on. Class 10-4 made sure they cheered the loudest as they even prepared a small banner, they rushed to make that morning. Cole simply scoffed and smiled, feeling a tad bit embarrassed from the hullabaloos of his classmates.
Ten student players made their way onto the center. Aidan is not without a star player as the said student made his way right next to Cole; soon after, the referee raised his hands, tossed the ball and instantly the ball was tapped by one student falling it right onto the hands of Aidan—Sunnybrook prepared their defense as the students cheered and hooted. The ball was dribbled, passed around and fell right onto the hands of the player guarding Cole.
Cole stood to his defense position and kept his eyes on the opponent, dribbling casually in front of him. And so, the first quarter of the practice match began.
XXX
4:20PM, Sunnybrook, Faculty
Rukawa felt the stiffening of his arm as he groaned and tried to open one eye; he squinted and opened both, lifting his head up as he felt small prickly-like sensations on his right arm. He clacked his tongue and tried to move his right arm slowly. He rubbed his eyes open and looked around—he's still at school; faculty room to be exact and—well, he just fell asleep.
He straightened up, stretched his right arm and looked around. Empty. Except for him—and the old Math teacher who seemed to be always busy. Rukawa wiped his mouth—fast, as he felt his own drool. Kso! He inwardly scoffed, good thing no one's around. He must have fallen asleep! Right after dismissing his own class fifteen minutes earlier, he heads straight to the faculty room and was met by the excited chatters of his colleagues—the practice match of course!
He remembered being persuaded by Ayako and the others to drop everything and watch, he nodded and said he'd follow but he must have fallen asleep. The last thing he took note was Naomi placing a pile of papers again and mumbling something he couldn't remember before he felt his eyes getting heavier and heavier and drooping until sleep claimed him.
Rukawa stretched his arms forwards and stared at his crowded desk. He inwardly groaned as he stood up and tried to pile and organized various folders, papers, records, his office materials—paperclips, staplers, pens, and the whatnots.
A movement to his far left and he met the gaze of the old Math teacher. "Not watching the game, Rukawa-sensei?" He croaked. Rukawa gape a bit, thinking of what to say. He shrugged instead. "Uh—I will, maybe after sorting papers…sensei." He muttered lowly. The old Math teacher simply shrugged and pulled on his bag and waved. "Well, I'm going home. Not interested in running kids going after one rubber ball." He stated and slid the door to the room shut. Rukawa blinked his surprised—oh well, not everyone's a fan of the sport, he supposed.
Rukawa continued filing papers and everything until he can finally see the glass atop on his own desk. Done doing so, immediately grab his keys, phone, and wallet and quietly exited the room.
Meanwhile…
Timeout has been called by Sunnybrook. It is the final few minutes of the second quarter. The score was 38-50, in favor of Aidan. The students were relentless as they cheer their lungs out, some groaned and worried as they witness how good the basketball team of Aidan is.
Cole wiped his face as he listens to Takato while being assisted by their assistant, his teammates were nodding as they try to remember and absorb all the plays and the trainings they had for the past week. Cole tried to remember what his father would tell him but the players from the other team is also capable—also a bit taller than most of them. Takato pointed out a play to which the young players understood and nodded. He tapped each one of them and reminded them to stay calm and get one basket at a time. They should also try to steal without fouling and move the ball around.
"So, understood?" Takato asked. The boys nodded but Takato never missed the worried look in their eyes. Cole sighed and stared at his teammates, they were trying, he knew, but they're also starting to lose their confidence. He felt his hands clenched as found himself staring at the scoreboard. 'Twelve points…' He muttered to himself. And in that seemingly austere moment, Cole tried to remember his father's championship match back when he was in college.
"Alright team, lets go!" Takato hollered and they all tapped hands as the final two minutes of the second quarter began. Cole tossed his towel on the bench and fixated his eyes on the board. His usual smiling demeanor put aside as the students of Sunnybrook started cheering. Cole momentarily scanned his eyes on the crowd- trying to look for that one person he had hope of watching the game but… was nowhere to be found. Cole dumped a forlorn sigh and tried to keep his mind on the game. 'Dad… if you were here, what would have you done?' He mused silently. A tap on his shoulder and he was made to look to his side, it was a teammate of his.
"We're counting on you, Cole-kun." His teammate nodded. Cole blinked his grayish-blue orbs and nodded slowly, not really knowing what to say. For the last time, he found himself staring at the crowd—and maybe, just like any normal teenager his age, he secretly wished he would see his Dad, he doesn't even need to watch the whole game—because for Cole, he thought Sendoh's presence is more than enough—
Cole's eyes widened a bit as he spotted another person who was simply standing on the far end of the gym. Cole gapes a bit, his mind suddenly shifting to the words he and his teammate had the privilege of hearing… a team is not made up of just one person; it's a group made up of many hands—and one mind.
"R…Rukawa-sensei." He muttered lowly.
Rukawa simply stood there, leaning on the far end wall of the gym, eyes on the scoreboard then on the court where his students and the others are battling it out. Rukawa blinked his eyes, surprised to see the scoreboard—he was honestly expecting it to be a close game and so he was partly surprised to see the 12-point deficit. Well, seems like Aidan is quite the opponent. His eyes hovered around the whole team and instantly spotting Sendoh Akira's son who seemed a tad bit frustrated but spent as well.
Well, its not like he can do something to help them. Its not like he could replace one student and play for them to win. Rukawa took the opportunity to watch—and while deep inside he wanted no more but for Sunnybrook to close in at least the gap before the first-half ends, Rukawa deemed it is far more important to witness how Cole and the whole team would remain intensely focused on the outcome, and not the obstacle.
The referee blew his whistle—and the final two minutes of the first half began.
XXX
4:30PM, Meadow Valley Hospital, ER
"Code blue, code blue—bed nine!"
"He's going v-fib!"
"Get me an ET tube…"
"Vein collapse…"
"Get another line…"
"Flatlining, doc…"
"We're losing him…"
Nurses and resident doctors walked to and fro around a certain bed whose curtains are alternately closed and opened as they grab syringes, torniquets, and ampoules. Fukuda slams the emergency cart drawer close as he grabs plastic tubes, gauzes, micropores, gloves, and the whatnots. One of their patients whom they were observing for the past hour had just coded and went on a v-fib arrest. They all ran when they heard the machine beeping—flatlining.
"Get me the defibrillator now." Sendoh ordered and instantly the cart containing the machine that would shock him was placed and soon the team started working on the seemingly lifeless man. "Charge it to 200." Fukuda stared at his high school classmate and nodded. "Charging 200 joules… clear." He muttered. "Clear." Another nurse responded and instantly the defib machine did its job, shocking the body of the patient. They all stared at the heart monitor. No QRS rhythm. Fukuda leaned and felt the pulse, shaking his head. "No pulse." Sendoh furrowed his brows. "Charge again, 250."
"Charging 250… clear."
"Clear."
Again, they stared at the monitor. Still no QRS rhythm. Fukuda felt the pulse. "No pulse." Sendoh frowned. "Chest compressions again." When they were looking at each other Sendoh furrowed his brows. "Hey, didn't you hear me? Compressions, now." He ordered rather impatiently.
Only then the team went back again—a few more minutes of doing their tasks. A few minutes passed. "Charge it again, 300." Sendoh muttered as he checked the lines and glancing at his watch. Fukuda stared at him. "Are you sure?" He muttered, worried that too much shock might lead for his weakened heart to collapse.
Sendoh stared back seriously. "You heard me, 300… now!" The nurses went back again to working. "Charging defib 300… clear." One nurse nodded. "Clear." Another, too. "And clear." Fukuda held on the paddle. The machine made a whirring sound for a sec before sending shock onto the pale body of the patient.
Sendoh swallowed involuntarily, his body feeling tiredness seeping in, his mind clouded with both professional and personal anxieties, Sendoh felt his fist clenched. C'mon now… don't you die on me. They all looked at the heart monitor—flatline…still he clung to his tiny hope of positivity. Then that tiny beeping sound.
Fukuda leaned in for a pulse, Sendoh looked back at him. "We got a pulse." They all sighed in relief as they went back to work. "We got a sinus rhythm, Doc." Sendoh nodded. "That's good." The nurse smiled. "Great job, Doc." Sendoh shrugged, writing something on another chart. "You're all good."
Fukuda dumped a sigh as he adjusted the heart rate monitors and wrote something on the chart; Fukuda stared at the semi-conscious patient, lifting an eyelid with a finger, checking his pupils with a penlight. He smirked. "Welcome back to Earth, Pops." They all went back to working on the patient, getting another IV line and the works.
"IV line done…"
"Saline in, fast drip…"
"Hook in heparin…"
"Noted, doc."
"Your orders, doc?"
"Get him in ICU—close monitoring, repeat cardiac enzymes in an hour." Sendoh muttered, his mind crammed up with the current patient and the others waiting for him in the ER. He was busy writing something on the charts and sending text messages to the patient's consultant.
Matsumoto's wife has been crying on one corner for awhile now. "What's happening with him?" She croaked in her voice. Sendoh leaned down, his eyes tired, his hair disheveled—but he smiled a bit. "We got him back. But he needs to be transferred in the ICU for close monitoring. Still not out of the woods." The wife cried a few more, but nodded as she smiled and squeezed the arm of Sendoh who simply nodded back and tapped her; a nurse came by to console and assist her.
Sendoh went back to the nurse station, grab the patient's chart, and wrote something on it. The main door to the ER room sprung open. It was the EMTs, hauling an ambulance gurney with a patient on it. "Incoming, 25, male, BP 90/100, a bleeder, GSW!" Available health workers rushed and attended to the bleeding patient who was bleeding profusely.
"Attending, I need an attending- now!" The EMT hollered. Sendoh clacked his tongue and stared drearily at the scene then at his watch. A gun shot wound, fuck. He mouthed to himself. And as he was about to step forward a hand held him back.
"Dr. Sendoh, its okay—I'll get it. Thanks for keeping our boat afloat. You're the best." A smile. Finally, the two female attending ER consultants arrived. One of the two rushed at the EMT and Sendoh could only sigh in relief. He tried to smile as he shook his head.
The other ER doctor grinned. "Sorry doc, that's why I never liked attending conferences. When we're not here, chaos ensues. Well, ready to endorse?" Sendoh simply chuckled tiredly and nodded. "Yeah, but first… I want some free pens, lost mine awhile ago." The ER doctor laughed and got her bag and rummaged thru it, handing Sendoh a handful of pens and whatnots. Sendoh simply chortled and started going over the charts.
"So, loving our department yet? We could use a handsome doctor down here. Hehe!" The ER doc chirped. Sendoh almost rolled his eyes and lifted a hand. "Thanks for the pen." The ER doc laughed. "Anyway, endorsing bed number nine, Matsumoto Junya, myocardial infarction…" Sendoh started and soon after, he was finally out of the chaotic room.
XXX
Sunnybrook, 4:45 PM, Gym
Fourth quarter. 63-65, still in favor of Aidan. It's the final minute of the game and students are already on their feet as the game approaches its much-awaited conclusion. Cole has the ball—he dribbles, his opponent guarding him well. Takato can be seen on the sideline, trying to holler instructions. Section 10-4 were up to their feet as they yelled and cheered their classmates.
Rukawa stood quietly on one corner as he looked on. His mind wandered back when he was in high school—he partly remembers his basketball stint, his teammates, their old coach—everything. What are you going to do now, Cole-kun? He muttered to himself, wondering how the son of his former rival would fare under pressure. The clock is slowly dwindling away.
Cole dribbles—dribbling in between his legs to the delight of the crowd; Rukawa raised a brow, sensing Sendoh trained his son well in ball handling. Cole charged, and sped off. The crowd went wild as the final few seconds ticked by. Cole run, while dribbling, trying to evade the defenders as the student assigned to guard him kept him close by—
Cole jumped, trying to pull on a jumper and almost curved his lips upward slyly when his opponent did the same; to their surprise—Cole pulled on the no-look pass to his teammate. The students were ecstatic. Cole runs around for awhile as his teammates take turns passing the ball with only less than twenty seconds on the clock.
"Cole!" A teammate hollered and Aidan's guard was shocked when the ball was passed yet back again to the hands of Cole who dribbled once, twice, took a step-back and fired from behind the line. The ball sailed; all eyes and mouths gape as they prayed for the ball to go in. Cole can feel the pounding of his chest, praying that it would go in… the final dying seconds of the clock, he can only think of his own Dad and his marvelous plays back in college…
The ball went in—and shouts of triumph blew the roof. The buzzer went off. Sunnybrook won. The students were loud as they hugged, exchanged slaps, took out their phones and took vids, and the whatnots. Cole and the team slapped each other hands and hugged as they just had their first win—a practice game maybe, but still a win. Coach Takato shook hands with Aidan's coach, as he taps the hands of the valiant students.
They all bowed and shook hands and of course, aside from the students, the faculty members, especially madam principal is also all smiles as she exchanges unabashed chuckles with Aidan's principal. Closing formalities were enunciated and soon after all of Sunnybrook students were wearing the smiles and the grins as they all went home feeling jolly.
Rukawa is partly surprised when he saw how Cole executed the play, he found himself wide-eyed as he gasps since Cole made the no-look pass he's all-too familiar with, then the fake, the screen, and the run-around until the three-pointer at the end. Why does it feel like he's seen the play before?
Of course, only then he came to realize that it was one of the plays he and Sendoh made when they were battling Tokyo University back in college. The fake, Sendoh's pass, his offense against Maki—the pass again, screening Fujima, a few run-arounds and Sendoh's final three-pointer. They made everything go about smoothly that Tokyo University then was bewildered; even with the likes of Maki and Fujima together.
Rukawa couldn't help but to tugged his lips upward, surprised and partly amused at the gallantness of his rival's son. And as the game ended, with them winning of course, Rukawa momentarily paused to stare at the celebratory vibes of their own team, eyeing his students, Cole, and almost everyone. He snorted softly and pushed himself off the wall. He sighed and yawned a bit, turned his back to exit on the other side of the building when he heard a familiar call and stopped to look back…
"Dad!"
"H-hey buddy!"
"Daadd!" Cole's eyes widened as he hopped to meet Sendoh who was standing on one corner. He almost felt his eyes watered as he approached his father. Sendoh grinned, his eyes-tired, and his polo crumpled, folded up to his elbows, his hair disheveled. Cole stared at his father. "D-Dad… are you okay?" Sendoh blinked and shrugged. "Yeah, why?" Cole swallowed involuntarily, sweat still trickling all over him.
"I- well… were you able to…did you see…" Cole started, feeling his voice breaking because of his emotions. Sendoh grinned. "What, that last play you copied from me?" Cole felt his ears burned, Sendoh laughed. "Dad, its not yours exclusively-?!"
Sendoh chuckled and ruffled his son's hair. "Ugh, you really smell worse." He laughed, teasing his son. Cole rolled his eyes. "It's the smell of victory, Dad." Cole grinned back. "Didn't Rukawa-sensei told you that you smell like dead flowers?" He grinned.
Sendoh laughed. "Rukawa-sensei has sinusitis." Cole blinked—then laughed. "D-Daad, hahaha, you're horrible." Sendoh chortled, amused at his own joke; he paused, remembering his son's prowess, seeing him step up on the game, being calm and focused as they go against head-to-head with the other team. He was happy to see his son play.
"You were great, Cole. I'm proud of you and your whole team." Sendoh stated, smiling. Cole blinked his eyes, but he smiled and looked down feeling warmth. He nodded.
"You were late...?" Cole muttered lowly, while packing his things. Sendoh sat down on the bench and nodded, running a hand on his hair. "Yeah, sorry—I was in the emergency room, there was an old man who needed my help and I just can't ignore him."
Cole listened—eyeing his father, seeing his tired eyes. But he was there. His father had been there—even in the final minutes of the game, his father tried. Despite and in spite of his busy schedule—he gave a part of his time. Cole felt a small lump forming in his throat, he kept himself busy by packing his bag. He nodded. "Its—its okay…" He paused. "I'm glad you were able to help him…" He paused, feeling his eyes teary, because he was happy. "You're the best, Dad…"
Cole looked up, Sendoh stared at his son, wondering. "I—I'm glad you're here. Thank you for trying." He smiled as he felt his eyes water.
Sendoh blinked—not really expecting his son to be this emotional but can't say he wasn't… moved. And in that father and son moment, Sendoh was reminded how the greatest day of his life was actually Cole's first. "Hey, I'm always going to be here, you know. Even if you decided to marry and have kids on your own." He stated sincerely and paused. "But, don't marry yet—not until you're forty." Sendoh stated, smiling slyly.
Cole blinked his eyes. Sendoh smiled back. Cole nodded, sniffing as well. Sendoh gapes a bit, blinked and smiled amidst his tired eyes. He lifted a hand and pat his son's head. "Are you freaking crying?" He grinned and chuckled. "Aww, come here-?!" Sendoh added, joking; he teasingly grabbed his son's arm to jokingly cradle him. "D-Daad, what the heck?!" Cole pulled back, chuckling a bit. Sendoh laughed.
Cole rubbed his eyes and batted his father's hand. "I'm not! Its sweat!" He tried to reason. Sendoh laughed. "Sweaty eyes, huh." Cole felt his ears flushed as he sniffed and continued packing his bag. Sendoh stayed for awhile when Cole's team approached them and told Sendoh about the game.
XXX
8:00 PM, Monday
Rukawa is lying down on his bed—his eyes boring holes on the ceiling as he contemplates the day's events. It all went by so fast, like in a blink of an eye. But he was glad that they won—his students. Everyone seemed hyped about it as he sees various posts and tags of photos in social media. Speaking of social media… he turned to his right and reached for his phone, opened his own social media which is strictly for work-related purposes only and peeped onto it.
He saw Ayako's post, some of his colleagues, too. Tags by the students, the game, the court—during play. And of course, Cole Sendoh. He stared at one particular photo in which Cole has the ball; Rukawa hovered above the name of Cole and found himself clicking on it. Instantly, he was directed to his page. Browsing a bit, he stopped when he saw one feature photo of Cole and Sendoh…
Rukawa found his gaze fixated on the picture—it was a birthday—Cole's to be exact. His tenth birthday and with him in the picture is Sendoh Akira, at his side, looking as his son blowing his cake; there were others too—probably Sendoh's brother, his brother's wife and another kid, their parents… it was a scenic photo of simplicity and warmth.
Rukawa found himself clicking on a particular name—Sendoh Akira. Sendoh seems not to bother much on his social media, as there weren't really many posts; or maybe he just cant see it because they're not friends. Sendoh's picture is simply a random shot of him and Cole—a younger Cole, probably when he was still five, and Sendoh wearing a proper white uniform with a dangling stethoscope around his neck, all-smiles as he sat beside his son.
And in that particular moment, Rukawa didn't know, but he found himself harbouring admiration for his former rival, not the romantic kind but more of how someone faces the greatest challenge of being alive—and that is sometimes, experiencing pain and struggles and not allowing it to consume one's light. He dumped a sigh and exited the app and placed his phone down. Rukawa turned on his back and placed an arm atop his forehead, ready to fall asleep. He closed his eyes and was getting sleepy when he jolted up from his bed—startled, when his phone rings.
Rukawa cursed and frowned, hoisting himself up from the bed and grabbing his phone. Who the heck would be calling at this unholy-?! Rukawa furrowed his brows as he saw the name on his phone. He stared at it for awhile, feeling suddenly a tad bit uneasy to see the name flashing on his phone. What now? Why can't you pick it up?! He inwardly tirades. Rukawa dumped a sigh and answered the phone. He grunted.
"What?" He started, not really knowing why he didn't say hello instead. But Rukawa is curious—like, why does his chest seemed to be racing? He heard a snort.
"Sleeping already?" Sendoh stated. Rukawa snorted back. "Obviously." Sendoh chuckled. "Obviously not." Rukawa clacked his tongue, annoyed at Sendoh's comeback.
"Hey, do you want to hang out?" Sendoh suddenly chirped, like he's the person who's got nothing to worry about. Except just hanging out. Rukawa rolled his eyes. "Again?" He heard Sendoh laughed on the other line. "What are you, a teenager?" Rukawa added blandly.
"Wow, you really hate hanging out, sensei."
"Its late."
"Eight pm? Pfftt… what are you, a kindergarten student who needs ten hours of sleep because there's flag ceremony tomorrow?" Sendoh stated, chuckling a bit. Rukawa gape—but he almost felt like laughing, amused and annoyed at the same time. What a jerk!
"Tch. Idiot. Everyone—and I repeat, everyone needs sleep."
Sendoh chuckled. Amused. "Not me. C'mon now, sensei. Just a few hours."
"Hours." Rukawa deadpanned.
"Yeah, and I promise you wont even need your car—or change your clothes." Sendoh grinned.
Rukawa felt a tad bit awake with the last statement. He snorted. "Excuse me?" Sendoh rolled his eyes. "Wow, polite." He grinned.
Rukawa grumbled. "I'm hanging up—besides, I'm really-!" But Rukawa could only gape in surprise as Sendoh cut him off.
"C'mon Rukawa-sensei, come down here, just hang out with me—I'm standing out here, in front of your apartment building."
"You're shitting me, right?" And Rukawa wanted no more but to grab his computer table, lift it up and slam it on Sendoh Akira's spiky head.
XXX
Rukawa couldn't believed it—Sendoh wasn't lying; he went down, clad under his plain shirt, joggers, a pair of sport slides, and saw the doctor waving in front of the apartment building. Rukawa pushed the door open—a scowl on his face as he meets up with the cardiothoracic surgeon.
"How the hell did you even find out about my place." Rukawa stated drearily. Sendoh smirked. "Ah well, its again for me to know and for you to find out." Rukawa snorted, eyeing the doctor. Sendoh is just wearing a gray crew neck shirt, also a pair of navy-blue joggers, and some sneakers—he also took note of Sendoh's un-spiked hair, disheveled and falling in front like short fringes. He looked a lot like Cole when his hair is down. His gaze fell upon Sendoh's hand carrying something. Rukawa snorted. It was a pack of eight bottled-vodka He knew already what this meant.
"Vodka huh." Rukawa muttered. Sendoh grinned, lifting the packed bottles. "You got perfect vision. Yeah, they're ice-cold." Rukawa scoffed, shook his head as he led Sendoh outside—a patio on the side of the building, filled with bistro and conversation sets, where anyone can have an afternoon coffee or whatever.
They sat down on a wicker-sofa for two and Sendoh instantly opened a plastic full of food and whatnots. Rukawa simply stared. Sendoh brought out everything. "I got chips, buns, more chips, protein bars, smoke, gummy worms, cupnoodles-?!"
"Gummy worms." Rukawa deadpanned, grabbing the pack of colorful worms. Sendoh nodded. "Yeah, please don't tell me you prefer gummy bears."
Rukawa glared. "Vodka and worms. Magical." Sendoh chuckled. "Just leave it, if you don't like it." Rukawa simply rolled his eyes, tossing the worms and grabbing a random chip. Soon after, two bottles were opened and some other junk as they munched in into the night. "Tell me you had dinner already." Sendoh started while chewing and drinking. Rukawa snorted. "Of course, I had." Sendoh grinned. "Great, I wouldn't want to feel guilty for giving you unhealthy stuff." He chuckled. Rukawa stared incredulously to his right—at his unlikely companion that evening while drinking. Silence.
"This is a great neighborhood. How long have you been here?" Sendoh started.
Rukawa shrugged, sensing Sendoh suddenly seems—formal and all. How long indeed?
"Four years." Rukawa stated. "Where do you…live anyway?" Rukawa almost hesitated to asked.
"Nishitama district. Just fifteen minutes away from Sunnybrook." Sendoh said. "Wanna come over sometime?" Rukawa snorted. "Is that an invite?" Sendoh nodded, glancing at his left—a space between them. "You ever thought of buying your own house?"
Rukawa shrugged. "Not sure if I like the idea of mortgages." Sendoh chuckled, nodding his head. "Yeah, makes sense." The taller stated. Silence. Only the soft sound of bottle against the glass table and hands grabbing chips filled the night.
"Why are we drinking?" Rukawa suddenly asked. Sendoh paused, looked at his left and smiled. "You know why." Sendoh raised his bottle towards Rukawa. "Cheers to winning today, teacher Ru." Rukawa blink but he tapped his own bottle with Sendoh's and they both drank. "Whatever, doc." The teacher muttered. Rukawa stared at his companion. Sendoh grinned. Their eyes meeting. Sendoh grinned, chuckling. But soon found himself lifting his left arm in defense when Rukawa tried to punch him on the head. Sendoh laughed.
"I'm staring again, I have a crush on you again—!" Rukawa grunted.
Sendoh's eyes turned mischievous. "You do? For real?"
Rukawa glared incredulously at the older. "What the hell?"
Sendoh laughed. "I don't usually go for guys but, I'll make a hard exception for you, hahahaha!" Sendoh winced while chuckling when he felt a punch at his left side. Alas, poor Rukawa felt blood creeping on his ears. "You're really a jerk!" Sendoh sure knows how to pester him and it feels suddenly rather a tad bit… embarrassing; Rukawa wondered why so. Sendoh chuckled some more and they both went back to eating and drinking. Silence.
"Thanks for helping Cole and the others by the way." A pause. "And for filling in when I wasn't around." Sendoh suddenly stated, eyes glued on the bottle he's holding. Rukawa slowly glanced to his right. "Hn." He simply snorted. "It wasn't just me you know." Sendoh smiled, nodding his head. "Although I came in late awhile ago…" Sendoh started.
The night went on with them talking about randomness—Sendoh's busy day in the hospital mostly, with Rukawa finding himself simply listening. Rukawa would never admit it but he probably would want to see how Sendoh saves his patients. Rukawa thought it sounded heroic and amazing. He would tug the corner of his lips up, nod, and shrug—and Sendoh would simply smile, sometimes chuckle when Rukawa would talk about how his day went by.
"And when I would ask them to bring out a pad paper, they're like… pad paper, sensei? I just said pad paper and would be repeating pad paper again for five fucking times."
Sendoh laughed, eyes crinkling. "Repeating everything, huh." Rukawa smirked a bit, shaking his head. "Like a flock of drunk-punched students." Sendoh chuckled, amused at Rukawa's words when not in front of his own students. "What would I do to be in your class huh, sensei?" Sendoh asked, grinning, staring at Rukawa.
Rukawa simply raised a brow. "I got the younger version of you on my list already." Sendoh chuckled. "Is my son giving you problems, sensei?" Rukawa stared at his right, surprised at Sendoh. "No need to hold back, you can be honest with me." Sendoh grinned. Rukawa snorted.
"Or, its the father that's been giving you problems, rather?" Sendoh stated, grinning. Rukawa twitched his lips as he averted his eyes somewhere—Sendoh's stare suddenly seems piercing. Well, that's some question Rukawa thought of as—double-edged. He can't remember when did he started having these colorful thoughts. Grabbing the bottle and drinking from it, he turned to his companion. "Your son is nice… he's a good kid." Sendoh simply smiled. "I'm glad to hear then."
XXX
Two hours went by. Sendoh yawned-placing his hands atop his face as he leaned forward. Rukawa, too, can feel sleepiness and tiredness creeping in—and he would have laughed at it all, because its almost like an ad banner waving at them-saying, 'behold, the signs of aging!' Rukawa was about to randomly say something when Sendoh beat him to it.
"I was… thinking of actually asking you out to watch a movie with me." He smiled, his blue eyes, tired and heavy. "But I decided not to—I figured this is better, here, talking with you—having this conversation." He smiled and paused. "After all, isn't it that… the best way to get to know someone is to have a… conversation with them?" Sendoh almost slurred—vodka probably kicking in. He smiled though.
Rukawa furrowed his brows, his stare fixated on the table across them—wondering what the heck Sendoh said "Hngh? Are you… drunk…?" He muttered. Sendoh chuckled, rolling his eyes—the thing is, the drink he bought seemed like loaded with extra as they were onto their last and fourth bottle each. Watch a movie? Rukawa snorted, Sendoh sure is treating their hangouts like some romantic and real date. And well, he always seems to oblige.
He gasped. As he tried to shove off his thoughts. Did he just say date? Rukawa slap his left cheek with his left palm and tried to shake his head, feeling a tad bit dizzy and tipsy, but he knows he can still stand up. His eyes glanced to his right to see Sendoh who was slumped back on the chair, hands on his phone as he seems to be browsing nonchalantly, but just not quite sure if Sendoh's eyes are still awake. Rukawa knew that he would be suffering another hangover tomorrow due to two consecutive days of lack of sleep.
And just like what most people say about getting drunk and older—when someone brings alcohol, another would bring the bad decisions. Rukawa felt his head throbbing, his eyes droopy—he scanned the table in front of them and saw clutter everywhere—empty bottles and plastics, lots of it. Rukawa wished he knew how to hold a lose tongue.
"Umm… do you… know… where your… wife is?" Rukawa stated, slurring. His brows furrowed; eyes sleepy. "K…Karen? Something like that… right?"
Sendoh blinked—but he overheard the last statement. He chuckled, looking then to his left. "Who the fuck… is Karen?"
Rukawa frowned. Eh? Sendoh laughed, leaning forward, placing a hand on his mouth, eyes crinkling. "Coleen. Jeesh. Don't make me say it again, please…" Sendoh stated, chuckling.
Rukawa snorted, scratching his head. Seems like alcohol got him already. "Whatever… so— do you kno where the heck is … your wife?" Rukawa muttered rather hastily under his breath.
Sendoh slyly smiled and nodded. "Yeah… I do…"
Rukawa snorted, raised a brow. "W-where…" Rukawa muttered, brows furrowing.
Sendoh chuckled, rubbing his red eyes as he put on a mischief. He lifted his left arm and pointed at Rukawa. "Here… he's here…"
Rukawa groaned and slap away Sendoh's hand. "Fuc…you jerk." Sendoh laughed.
"N… no. Not really… probably… somewhere… wherever…" Sendoh stated, placing his fingers on his temples, eyes heavy. He smirked. "Earth." Rukawa snorted, Sendoh's finally been kicked by Vodka.
"Not… my… wife…" Sendoh added, looking to his left, his eyes red, a sloppy smile on his lips. Rukawa glanced to his right—his cerulean orbs peeping under his thick-lined eyelashes. "No?" Rukawa grunted.
Sendoh shrugged, head bobbing like a drunkard. "Never… married…" He smirked, snorting as he heaved a sigh. "I was—before, thinking of marrying her… you kno… to make it official…" Sendoh muttered, pausing in between.
Rukawa simply listened. Sendoh smiled. "But she left… so… I mean, I already bought the ring… I am ready to get down on my knees…" Sendoh stated—pausing, looking at Rukawa. Then, being in the current state as he is, Sendoh playfully pushed himself off the sofa.
Rukawa's eyes shot up wide. "Oi… what the hell are you… doing…" Rukawa tried to straightened up but failed when Sendoh playfully knelt on both knees, holding a gummy worm—Rukawa frowned, his head pounding, his eyes unfocused. "What the hell—you fuc… what are you…"
Sendoh slyly smile. "Rukawa-sensei… will you…marry me?" Sendoh joked. Rukawa groaned and tried to pushed off Sendoh's heavier arm on his thigh. "Rukawa… will you… marry me?" Sendoh asked again, laughing. Rukawa squirmed. "Get off you-?!"
"C'mon, answer me, Rukawa." Sendoh forced jokingly—grinning.
"You're crazy!" Rukawa muttered.
Sendoh chuckled. "Don't you want me-as your husband? You wouldn't even have to worry about health insurance." Sendoh laughed crazily, clearly alcohol took a dib on him.
Rukawa felt blood creeping his cheeks as he rolled his eyes. "What the heck—Sendoh, you bastard, get off me!" Rukawa reiterated, feeling his thighs pressed with Sendoh's muscular arms. He was rather surprised to see a frantic side of Sendoh when overcome with alcohol.
"Marry me, Rukawa!" Sendoh shouted, almost like commanding; Rukawa was burning red, annoyed at his companion. Sendoh was laughing, amused at seeing the red-faced teacher. "Say yes, Rukawa… hahahah!"
"No—get off! You j-jerk. You d-drrunk! I'd rather pay my health insurance, asshole."
"Say, yes Sendoh, I'm… marrying you because I want free check-ups!" Sendoh playfully coerced. Rukawa tried to kick the taller and bulkier man. "Free check-ups?!" Rukawa grumbled.
Sendoh, chuckling playfully tied the gummy worm on Rukawa's left finger to Rukawa's horror. "There, I pronounce you, married to me. Hahah!" Sendoh even hooted like a deranged professional.
"So, where do you wanna go for our honeymoon?" Sendoh added, laughing crazily at his own jokes. Rukawa tried kicking him and pushing him off. "Off me, you prick!"
Sendoh simply chuckled. "Let's keep it simple and hassle-free—basketball court. Hahaha! You'd like it there, do ya?" Rukawa gape, face burnt red from the embarrassment mustered all his might to stare daggers at the drunk doctor.
"Or… in the hospital, there's lots of beds-?!" Sendoh lifted his arms in defense, laughing, when Rukawa started pushing him off on his face.
"What the actual f-uck?!" Rukawa, finding the energy to pushed back the doctor, did so, sending Sendoh tumbling back-laughing. "H-hey, I'm sorry… alright. Sorry—sorry—don't get mad at me. Hahaha! You looked… adorable by the way." Sendoh stated, eyes teary from laughing—he never remembered teasing anyone as hard as this… more so even, to a guy such as Rukawa; and his mind wondered why.
Rukawa tried to glare amidst his flushed state. "Fucking drunk jerk!" He shouted, while standing up. "What the fuck is wrong with you?! A-hole!" He sat back, plopping heavily as soon as he felt his head throbbing and gag reflex. He fought it back though.
Rukawa incredulously stared at his finger with a tied gummy worm and tried to wriggle it off. Sendoh pushed himself off the ground. Sendoh laughed, amused at Rukawa's state. But he, too, can actually feel the slight lightheaded-ness as the two of them tried to engage in a stupid conversation between a teacher and surgeon.
Suddenly feeling tired from their madness, Sendoh sat back up, slumping a bit so that his head leans on the backrest, tired, and looked up—saw the dark blue sky, filled with tiny specks—stars. He felt his eyes getting heavy, heavier… he lifted his right hand and placed it on his forehead. And in the wee hours of evening, Sendoh closed his eyes, his body, spent because of a whole day's work—but his thoughts, alive and contemplating about a short verse he thought he wrote to someone, sometime long ago, and he wondered how one stanza remained vivid.
Every glance is a conversation—eyes playing, and saying what needs to be said, and I swear, I saw my name there, more than once…
TBC
Note: I had a great time writing this—it was a bit harder than chapter 4 but it was fun. Hope you liked it.
Cute: Haha, what's your version anyway? Care to share?
AddictedtoSD: Thank you; surprised to hear you gave the previous chapter a second round! Knowing you, you'd probably just doze off after reading. Hahaha! Ch6 is almost done! Ugh! :D
Akiraismylover: You raised good points; great questions—tbh, I just want to finish a multichap, lol. So, I'm probably just going to save myself from the drama :D But hey, lets see—a lil drama wont hurt!
KaedeSendo711: Thank you, glad you liked it! Oh wow, you read it many times, you're unbelievable!
Moonlily: Thank you! Yeah, it's harder nowadays to create, write, & maintain a fic—less reviews, readers, etc. But there's still quite a few ongoings out there. Glad to have you onboard senru!
Guests: Yayy! Thanks everyone, your thoughts are highly appreciated!
RokudaimeLove: What the heck are you saying?! Rukawa doesn't even know you exist, haha! Char! LOL. Yeah, probably next time I'd write them having coffee in your house. Let's save ourselves from eavesdropping, haha! Thank you! Your story is quite a handful too. Goodluck! Update Wedding fic! :D
Star7: Thanks a lot for the teacherly activities, soooo excited to level-up RuRu's teaching! Tired from marking papers, lol!
XXX