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Chapter six: All My Loving
After Izayoi had put her phone back into the pocket of her jacket, she and Tom went back to staring through the window at Kagome's unmoving body. She hadn't budged an inch. Every once in a while, Tom would ask his employer if she needed a cup of coffee or to sit down, but Izayoi only answered with a shake of her head. She would not take a reprieve until the results came back and she was in the arms of her husband. It'd been almost ten minutes since the phone call had ended, he would arrive soon. Then, a woman approached. A very decent looking woman, if not a little tired looking from how late her shift was that night. It was easy to forget that it was already one in the morning. She was middle aged with short, blond hair and chestnut eyes. Her slim body was dressed in a white coat with blue scrubs on underneath, and on her feet were a pair of pink crocs. If Izayoi hadn't been so preoccupied, she would have scoffed at such ugly shoes. But right now, all she could do was stare at the woman with equally tired eyes and downward turned mouth. A green pen with a pink, flowery end was stuck behind her ear, making her look quite silly for such a serious situation. Her thin, choral lips were pulled back in a sympathetic grin as she stepped up next to Izayoi, a clipboard in her arm.
"Hello, ma'am." The doctor extended her small hand to Izayoi, and the two women greeted each other for a moment before dropping their arms back at their sides. "I'm Doctor Meiner, the head of pediatrics at this hospital. I just got back the nurses results for –," The doctor took a moment to look down at her clip board, searching for Kagome's, thus far, unknown name. On the sheet it just read 'Jane Doe'. "-the girl's tests and I am glad to report that despite her external injures, she isn't in a dire situation." At hearing this joyous news, Izayoi's resolve crumbled around her. She collapsed against the wall, a hand at her heart and chest heaving slightly. It was as if the world's burdens had been lifted. Her eyes watered and lips trembled as she smiled graciously up at the doctor. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so relieved. With supportive arms, Tom grasped Izayoi's shoulders and helped her steady herself, just as Inu-Taisho came striding into view from the elevator. The doctor was about to continue with her diagnosis when Izayoi saw her husband nearing, and she instantly forgot about the woman.
"Touga!" Forgetting all manners and propriety, Izayoi went to meet her him halfway between the doctor and the elevator, falling into her husband's arms. Her shoulders quaked from all the emotions racing through her, and he gladly enveloped her into a welcoming hug. His head came to rest atop hers, pressing his cheek into the soft fibers of her dark hair as he whispered words of comfort. Dr. Meiner and Tom stood quietly of to the side, waiting for the two to join them. It only took a moment for Izayoi to gather herself, wipe away her tears sheepishly, and give her husband a sweet kiss on the lips before taking him over to where the doctor and driver were waiting. He so far had remained relatively silent, except for the quiet, sweet words he whispered to Izayoi during their embrace. And as they came to stand in front of the doctor, he glanced at Tom with utmost disapproval, motioning for him to leave. Tom understood and humbly took the keys from Inu-Taisho's hand, then left to go watch over their car. He knew not what the future held for his job, but right now Tom felt like he deserved the death penalty. So, with his head bowed in dejection, he left the three quietly.
Dr. Meiner regarded the handsome business mogul with a smile and a handshake, unfazed by his title or his celebrity. He, in return, treated her with respect and waited for her to continue speaking, his arm wrapped around Izayoi's waist. Clearing her throat, Dr. Meiner began again.
"As, I was saying; the girl is stable for the moment, but there are some underlying issues I want to look into before she is released. She must stay here until we're sure she's healthy, and tomorrow you two need to show up and speak with a social worker. She knows the protocol better than I do. Until we know who this girl is, where she came from, and who her parents are; she cannot leave the hospital. When she wakes up, I will be able to question her and hopefully we can learn something." The doctor took a moment to let Izayoi and Inu-Taisho comprehend, and when the dark haired woman nodded her head, Meiner continued on. Dr. Meiner looked down at her clipboard again, flipping a page or two to re-check the results and nodded before looking back at Izayoi. "Other than a cough she has, we feel that this was a relatively harmless accident. I just need to perform my own examination of her and then I'll have some paperwork and questions for the two of you."
Izayoi was immensely satisfied and her lovely face lit up with excitement. She had been so worried the girl had gotten a concussion or had internal bleeding. But it seemed as if she'd be alright now. Looking up at her husband, she was accustomed to receiving a rather stoic look back. After being with him for so long, Izayoi knew how to interpret his body language unlike anyone else. She knew that deep down; he was as relieved as she was, even if it wasn't for the same reason. Looking back at the doctor, she didn't have any other words to say except a thank you. Doctor Meiner nodded with a smile and left the two, and then quietly entered Kagome's room. Izayoi quickly moved over to the large window she'd been staring through, her hand pressed to the cold surface longingly. Inu-Taisho joined her, placing his hand on her shoulder as they watched the doctor awaken the slumbering girl.
The woman stepped towards the girl, her footfalls quiet against the tiled floor. She walked around the bed, careful not to bump into anything, lest she caused Kagome to awaken hastily. Once the mask was gingerly slipped off of her face, Kagome would come alive very quickly and Dr. Meiner was prepared to handle the fits of coughs and confusion that would certainly follow. And just to be sure, the good doctor filled a small, paper cup with water and placed it beside Kagome's bed before beginning her assessment. But as she examined Kagome's heart monitor and the liquid medicine bag that constantly dripped into her system, she realized Kagome's situation was more worrisome than the nurse had described. Dr. Meiner took the colorful, childish pen from behind her ear and quickly scratched notes into the paper attached to the clipboard. She hadn't expected the girl to be so malnourished. After placing her clipboard and pen on the nearest flat surface, Dr. Meiner slipped the clear, plastic mask from Kagome's head. The nasal tube was left in place though.
Almost instantly the heart monitor spiked and within Kagome's first few breaths without the mask, she was coughing terribly. And before it could become worse, Dr. Meiner methodically turned and grasped the cup of water in her fingers, then brought it in front of Kagome's face. The poor girl was now in tears as she fought against the trappings in her bed, but was so weak that it barely made a difference. Dr. Meiner scooped her hand behind Kagome's small neck and lifted her upper body up into a semi-sitting position.
"Drink this; it will make your throat hurt less. There, there," Dr. Meiner whispered softly as she put the rim of the cup against Kagome's trembling lips, then tipped it back and allowed some of the cool water to flood her mouth. Kagome sputtered for a moment, coughing up some of the water as her dry throat felt like it was being attacked. But once the water had made it all the way down, Kagome was finally able to take a deep breath. Dr. Meiner waited until she heard the frantic pace of Kagome's heart monitor to slow down again before lowering her weak body back onto the bed. The older woman had a sweet, comforting smile plastered on her face and Kagome stared blearily up at the blond woman with frightened, cerulean eyes. "You don't have to be scared, little girl. You're at the hospital, and I'm going to take care of you." Dr. Meiner said happily, trying to make Kagome relax some, but the little girl's body remained as stiff as a pole. Kagome understood what the woman was saying, but she still didn't trust what she was seeing and feeling. Why would she have been brought here? What had happened?
Kagome looked around the room curiously, slightly frightened by the intimidating machinery. And as she shifted in her bed, the nasal tube on her face, heart monitor clipped on her finger, and I.V. stuck in her hand became apparent. Kagome stared down at her hand, eyes curious at first, but then turned terrified as she realized there was a needle stuck into her. Every time she wiggled her little fingers, she felt it shift in her vein. Dr. Meiner realized there was going to be another episode and quickly intervened. Her hand came to rest on top of Kagome's, keeping it in place on the bed and preventing the needle to shift too much. "Try not to move, okay?" She pleaded with a kind voice, a smile always present. It was difficult sometimes to remain so chipper around stressed out children, but Dr. Meiner was a pro. She watched as Kagome's free hand came up to touch the nasal tube, her fingers clumsily tracing the plastic tubes. Her eyes remained glued to Meiner's, desperately questioning what was going on. "That's giving you medicine and clean air, it needs to stay there. Do you understand?" Kagome's bottom lip trembled, and eyes welled up with tears, but she nodded her head curtly and dropped her hand to her side. Dr. Meiner's pretty lips pulled back into a lovely smile, revealing rows of dazzling teeth. "Good, now stay still please. I need to ask you some questions. Is that alright?" Kagome once again nodded, her emotions slowly returning to a calmer state, and Dr. Meiner sat back in Kagome's bed, sitting beside Kagome's knee. Retrieving her clipboard and pen, Meiner flipped over a few of the pages and held them down to the back of the clipboard with her pink, nail-polished fingers. She cleared her throat before beginning the questions. "What is your name?" Her voice was friendly but professional.
"Kagome Higurashi." She said softly, a little nervously. Her throat was still terribly rough, and it hurt to speak. Dr. Meiner jotted down the name and then moved onto the next question.
"How old are you?" She asked.
"I think I'm six…" Kagome responded sheepishly, somewhat embarrassed she didn't know the definite answer to that. While children her age were proud of their age and when ever asked would say it loud and confidently, Kagome feared she might have lost track. It'd been years since she had a birthday party, let alone been wished happy birthday. Dr. Meiner went through other pertinent questions, gathering information about where Kagome had been living, who her parents were, and things about how she was feeling. Kagome answered all of them, but after a while her throat was becoming even more raw and Dr. Meiner could tell another fit was coming.
"Shh, shh, shh" She hushed the girl gently, and reached forward to rub her shuddering chest with a comforting touch. Kagome tried to suppress the coughing, but couldn't stop a few from wracking her small frame. "I need to examine you, Kagome. See, I have this light." The good doctor reached into her deep pocket and pulled out her otoscope, the tool used to look into the nasal and throat passage. She held it out for Kagome to examine and grow comfortable with. "This is going to let me see into your nose and mouth. Want to see how it works?" She offered sweetly, to which Kagome nodded. Dr. Meiner smiled and held the lighted end towards her mouth and parted her lips to let it light up the inside of her throat. Leaning towards the little girl, the doctor watched as Kagome relaxed some and grew more comfortable. "See? No big deal. Can I look in your mouth now?" Turning the instrument around, Dr. Meiner waited for Kagome to open her mouth to allow her to examine. As light flooded the girl's open jaw, exposing years of damage, Dr. Meiner felt that the situation was serious. There was tissue damage towards the back of her mouth, and evidence of bleeding as well. Upon further inspecting her eyes, nose, and listening to her breathing with a stethoscope, Meiner knew she had some tests that needed to be run because this child was most definitely afflicted with something. After using the same light to test Kagome's nasal passage and eyes, she clicked it off and slid it back into her pocket.
"Thank you, Kagome, that's all I needed to see. You were really brave!" She said graciously, standing to get Kagome another cup of water. As the woman filled the short cup, Kagome relaxed back into her bed, eyes drifting shut. She had so many questions to ask, and yet fatigue was overpowering her curiosity. Besides, Kagome doubted that when given the chance to ask anything, she'd be unable to put words to the questions. Everything was just a jumble of confusion in her head that it all swam together, no longer independent thoughts. Dr. Meiner was at her side again, extending another cup of water. Kagome shakily took it in her free hand, and then gulped it down. Some of the water trickled down the sides of her mouth, tickling her skin with its cool surface. Once it was all gone, Kagome handed Dr. Meiner the empty cup. She disposed of it, and then returned to Kagome's side. "You're going to sleep here tonight and tomorrow. If you're feeling better, a lady will come and talk to you." Meiner paused for a moment to place the mask back on Kagome's head. She slipped it into place, making sure it didn't construct the nasal tube and fit in place on Kagome's face. Soon, it was fogging again as Kagome happily breathed in the clean, humidified air. Her eyes shut in relief, head falling back and sinking into the pillows underneath. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so comfortable. Dr. Meiner smiled softly, brushing some of the tangled hair from Kagome's face. "Goodnight Kagome, sleep well." And with that, she stood up and left the room, clipboard in hand.
When the door to Kagome's room had clicked shut as the lock slid into place, Dr. Meiner barely had enough time to exhale when she was bombarded by a very desperate woman. Izayoi stood in front of her, eyes staring worriedly and mouth open in anticipation to ask all the questions that begged to be asked. Inu-Taisho stood a good yard away from her, letting his wife get it all out of her system. She was frantic with stress and worry over the little girl in that room, and he knew better than to get in the way of her when in a state like that.
"How is she? What's going to happen?" Izayoi said quickly, barely pausing between words. Dr. Meiner put a hand up, halting the woman before she could utter another word, and motioned for her to sit down in the waiting area not twenty feet away. The doctor now had a lot of paperwork and research to do for the night, and needed to appease the hyper woman before she could even begin on it. Once the two were seated, Inu-Taisho standing off to the side, but near enough to be part of the conversation, Dr. Meiner began.
"Her name is Kagome Higurashi. She's stable, and I expect a full recovery, not a quick one though. I will have to perform some more tests tonight and tomorrow to fully diagnose what her exact problem is, but for now she needs to sleep and I need to do some research. I will check if the hospital, or one of the other hospitals, has any previous records of her or her family, and I will compile all of that information in a file for the social worker who will come tomorrow." Dr. Meiner took a moment to allow Izayoi to understand. "The social worker will be the one who decides what happens to Kagome once she is discharged from the hospital. But to do so, she must speak with both of you. I plan she will be here around nine in the morning, and will need maybe one or two hours to look over the file and question Kagome. So, you two don't need to be present until noon-ish. She will have questions for you. Until then, I have no other information for you. My best advice for you two would be to go home, get some rest, and don't worry." At this, Dr. Meiner looked over at Izayoi who was near tears again, probably from over-exhaustion. She leaned over, grasped Izayoi's hand supportively, and smiled. "She will be fine. She doesn't have a concussion and she's not near death. You did everything you could, now it's up to my staff."
Izayoi nodded her head through tear blinded eyes, whipping them away with the back of her thumb. Her shoulders jumped with every hiccup and sniffle. "T-Thank you. I was so sc-scared something terrible had happened to her." She whispered softly. Inu-Taisho intervened now and placed his hand on Izayoi's shuddering back, rubbing slow circles into her jacket. He nodded his thanks to the doctor and then spoke to his wife.
"Izayoi, we need to go home. We'll come back tomorrow and hear what the social worker has to say." He helped Izayoi up from her seat, took her into his arms, and led her towards the elevator. Her body felt heavy and pained, but then the relief of the good news only lifted her spirits to new heights. She didn't think about what tomorrow would bring or what the social worker might ask, all Izayoi could do was thank God for keeping that little girl safe and in good hands. And as she and Inu-Taisho bed down for the night, both bone tired and sleepy, she fell asleep with a content smile on her face.