a/n: please read and review!
disclaimer: i own nothing
Chapter 7: Hold Me Tight
For the rest of the night Cynthia Meiner stayed vigilant at her desk, searching through the hospital records for any information on Kagome Higurashi. She had sent the interns to take Kagome's blood and run the preliminary tests, looking for infections or genetic problems while she compiled the information. She was currently in the break room, with a short stack of papers related to Kagome, a cup of steaming coffee in her other hand. On the table beside her papers was a small radio, playing old 80's music in the barren room, which was the only thing keeping the horribly tired woman awake. As she leafed through the papers, writing her own synopsis of the information and filing them into a folder for the social worker, Cynthia discovered something quite upsetting. The most recent file that had mention of Kagome was the report of her mother's death. It seemed that this girl's family had major ties to this hospital; Kagome had been born here, seen doctors here, her father and mother had received medical care before, and her mother had sadly passed away here as well. Now rejuvenated with renewed interest, Meiner sat up in her hard seat and leaned forward to read the paper intently.
"The patient, Shima Higurashi, was declared dead at 10:43 PM on the night of July, 14th 1998. Cause of death, loss of blood due to early miscarriage that required emergency cesarean section. The patient had an additional infection in her uterus that also had to be removed. Doctors on the case could not replace the blood quickly enough to sustain life…Shit." Cynthia let the paper fall to the table surface and leaned back in her seat, letting her head fall back. Her hand came up to cover her face, rubbing her aching eyes. Why, oh why, did she pick this profession when choosing her career? Cynthia was a caring soul who wanted to help everyone, especially children. But when she was confronted with cases like this, and worse, and when she had to be the bearer of bad news, it made her regret becoming a pediatric surgeon. Exhaling a deep sigh, Cynthia sat back up and went back to reading and filing, and finishing her report for the Social Worker. It only took another hour, almost five minutes after the clocked chimed three in the morning, but Cynthia was glad to be able to close the file for now. Once the technicians came back with results from the blood tests, she would add that information in. But until then, Dr. Meiner decided she would take a quick nap in the stock room, where a bed was permanently set up for doctors in this exact situation.
An annoying, blaring sound erupted throughout the room, breaking the quietness with sounds of a continuous buzzing noise that woke the two slumbering people. Izayoi's head snapped up from the pillow, eyes still sleepy and hair disheveled around her. Her arm was draped over Inu-Taisho's chest, which was now rising as he inhaled deeply, waking up much slower than she had. His arm was laid underneath her waist, hand resting on her hip lazily. Their legs were a tangled mess, locking together sometime during the night. It was no secret that the two of them liked to cuddle and spoon while they slept, and last night was no exception. Izayoi had actually clutched to him even more desperately last night than she had in a long, long time. But right now, each needed to go about their morning rituals separately. It was only seven in the morning on a Saturday, so there was no rush.
Mumbling a lazy, "good morning," Izayoi clambered out of their large bed, the silky white sheets falling off of her pajama clad body. Her messy black tresses pooled around her shoulders and hung limply as she crawled, not bothering her in the least. After living her entire life with such long hair, she tended to forget it was even there. Now on her dainty feet, body stiff until she stretched it out, Izayoi raised her arms so high that her short pajama top rose up enough to reveal her flat stomach and the scar that marked it, extending from under her pajama pants all the way up to her naval. It was faint, barely noticeable to those who didn't know it was already there, but would always be there as a reminder to Izayoi and her husband. Inu-Taisho watched his lovely wife stretch, his eyes catching glimpse of that scar, but then he looked away quick enough so she wouldn't catch him. He knew she was very self-conscious about it and whenever she saw him staring at it, her eyes would take on an ashamed and guilty look as she remembered what had happened. At first, Inu-Taisho constantly told her it wasn't her fault, that what had happened was meant to happen, and all they could do was move on. But Izayoi wouldn't hear it, she shouldered the blame. And as much as it frustrated him, Inu-Taisho loved his wife for that.
The business mogul was taken back to reality when he heard the sounds of the shower head turning on and water hitting the tile walls of their shower stall. He listened as the curtain was pulled open, then as Izayoi stepped into the compartment, and finally as the curtain was pulled shut again. Her soft humming permeated the air and he knew that it would be a good thirty minutes until she was finished. If she didn't sing in the shower, then it would only last ten minutes or so. But when she took her time to sing something, Izayoi would be in there a while. A soft chuckle ghosted through Inu-Taisho's nose as he mused over his wife's odd tendencies. After so many years of knowing her, she was still the young girl he'd met at the café, trying her best at a job she hated. She had been, and still was, the best thing that bumped into his life.
Inu-Taisho walked out of his bathroom, where steam billowed out and ghosted into their bedroom, with his hair still damp and clinging to his glistening, shirtless body. On his waist, a pair of grey boxer-briefs accentuated his toned physique and his shins were clad in a pair of charcoal socks, sticking to his tight muscled calves like a second skin. He was toweling his hair as he stepped onto the carpet of their bedroom, and looked over at Izayoi, who was seated at her dresser. The lights that lined the mirror glowed with a yellow haze, illuminating Izayoi's well rested and clean face, accenting the already heartwarming smile that was plastered across her face. Inu-Taisho watched from the doorframe of their bathroom as his wife went about brushing her long, inky hair to perfection. He watched her hold a piece of it up, and how it laced around her dainty fingers, and then how the brush ran through the fibers like a rake through water. There were no knots or tangles, just uniform hairs that put up no fight. They all came to stop at her lower back, ending just at the swell of her rear. Inu-Taisho loved Izayoi's hair. And when she finished brushing it, she looked up at the mirror and gasped softly when she noticed him eyeing her from the bathroom, looking as handsome as ever. Still looking at him through the mirror, Izayoi continued about her routine. She pulled her hair to her right shoulder, and then picked up a pearl strand up to her neck.
"Can I help you?" She asked jokingly. Inu-Taisho smirked right back at her and stalked towards her. Already knowing what she needed from him, he stood behind her and took the necklace from her fingers and clasped it together for her. His nimble fingers traced her neck, running through the hairs at the base gently.
"Just admiring my wife," He said huskily while staring passionately at her through the mirror. She, in turn, stared back at him with crimson cheeks and laughing eyes. Izayoi was always turned to mush when he put on the charms like that.
"Hush, Touga," she said sheepishly and reached up to pat the hand that rested on her shoulder. "Go finish getting dressed. It's almost nine in the morning and we need to break the news to them." At this, Izayoi's peaceful demeanor cracked as she let out a deep sigh. It was certain how Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru would take it; badly. Inu-Taisho also was dreading this conversation and begrudgingly left his wife's side to finish getting ready. He walked over to his chasseur-drawer and picked up the brush that rested atop it.
"Do you even know what you're going to tell them?" He asked softly, voice back to its usual stoic tenor. Running the brush through his own long, silver hair, Inu-Tiaisho brushed out all the little knots until it was no longer damp or matted. Izayoi watched him as she also applied some makeup to her already pristine face, pressing her lips together to smear the lip-gloss evenly.
"The truth, Touga. And they are coming with us to the hospital." She said definitively before Inu-Taisho could strike down the idea. "I'm not sure what the social worker will ask us or how long this is going to take, so I think it'd be best if the both of them are with us there." Izayoi began curling her lashes as Inu-Taisho buttoned the front of his white shirt slowly. He glanced at her questioningly.
"What about the press? They'll have a field-day with this, you know it. They probably already know about the accident, and how can we trust the hospital to keep this under wraps?" He asked her, wondering if she had thought about that at all. Truth be told, Izayoi wasn't the most socially conscious person ever. It often led to more tabloid front covers for his family than necessary. But he couldn't fault her for that. Izayoi rolled her eyes at him as she finished applying her blush and stood up from her bureau, turning around to look at him incredulously.
"Touga, give me some credit please. I had them put her in an exclusive room. The hospital security won't allow the press past the second floor, so stop worrying. And I'm confident that Dr. Meiner knows not to share any of this information. We'll have her sign a confidentiality waiver if you'd like." Izayoi's hard start faltered and broke into a warm smile as she moved over towards Inu-Taisho. He still wasn't convinced, but he'd get over it in time. "Now, you finish getting dressed while I go wake up Inuyasha." By now they were but inches apart, Izayoi craning her neck back so she could look up into her husband's amazing yellow eyes. Inu-Taisho dipped his head down and pressed his manly lips against her pretty, feminine ones, tasting her lip-gloss. When they parted, Izayoi smiled lazily up at him, patted his chest softly, and turned to leave. But just as she was about to close their bedroom door, she stopped, back-tracked, and faced him. "How do I look?"
Inu-Taisho regarded his wife with a critical eye. She was dressed in a crème-colored cashmere blouse that hugged her attractive, womanly curves. And her long legs were wrapped in black formal pants that fit her quite nicely. Her small feet bore a pair of black heels that added three inches to her short 5-foot, 4-inches height. He felt like he was falling in love all over again. With a warm smile he said, "You're lovely." This satisfied Izayoi and she disappeared once more behind the door and her quick footsteps could be heard down the hall.
Izayoi walked down the hall, past sets of doors on either side, until she came to the third one on the right, about fifty feet from her own room. On the white painted surface, colorful letters spelled out her son's name, 'Inuyasha'. Slowly pushing the door open, Izayoi poked her head into the room curiously, checking to make sure if he was still asleep or not. As she peered in, she took note of all the clutter. Hot Wheels littered the floor, along with dirty clothes and magazines. And all this usually would make her frown and ponder what gene he inherited that made him so messy, but this morning Izayoi couldn't help but feel the utmost endearment for her son. She saw his sleeping form only because of the Scooby Doo night light that provided some light for the room. He was currently snoozing on his little twin sized bed, clad only in a pair of spider-man boxers and white socks, with his little arm hanging off the side and feet dangling at the end. He always seemed to scoot down to the end of the bed, leaving about a two foot space between the backboard and his head. The comforter was scrunched oddly, covering just his legs, from his waist to his ankles. His face was currently being shoved into the soft fabric of his Hulk pillowcase, drool dampening it greatly. Izayoi couldn't imagine a time when she found him to be more adorable.
Sneaking in quietly, making sure to step over toys and around piles of clothes; she made her way into Inuyasha's room. When she made it to the bed, Izayoi pushed the covers out of her way and sat neatly on the edge next to him. Her hand came out to rest on the back of his head softly and she ran her fingers through the soft hair there, earning a muffled groan from her son, but nothing else. Izayoi chuckled softly and moved her hand down to his bare back, running the tips of her nails across the planes of skin gently. She knew exactly how he liked to be woken up, and no one could do it like her. Inuyasha's small body gave a shudder as he was slowly being awakened by his mother's familiar and comforting touch, still his eyes remained shut.
"Inuyasha~," She said in a sing-song voice, getting a twitching response. At least his motor senses were awake. As she continued to trace patterns and shapes into his back, Izayoi watched as Inuyasha slowly began to rouse. His eyes fluttered open, remaining half lidded as he stared off into the distance of his room. He licked his dry lips, reached up to scratch behind his neck, and let out a deep, contented sigh. He always had the best of days when his mother treated him to her special wake up routine. Izayoi beamed at him and rubbed his back with the palm of her hand, soothing the goose bumps that had risen. "Good morning sleepy head. Did you sleep well?" Inuyasha nodded his head quietly, and then closed his eyes like he was returning to the comforts of sleep. Izayoi quickly put a stop to that. "Oh no, no; you need to get up. Today is a special day." She cooed softly, gently pushing on his shoulder to keep him awake.
"What's so special about it?" he asked stubbornly, his face buried into the pillow and voice muffled to almost unintelligible levels. Izayoi sighed, but still smiled. Her son, ever the stubborn one, was not a morning person. He had to have inherited it from her as both Inu-Taisho and Sesshoumaru were always up early and without complaint. Inuyasha fought to stay in bed as long as he could. But this morning was different.
"You will find out when you come down stairs for breakfast, alright? Now, sit up." At this, she easily sat her son up, without his help. "open your eyes," She placed her hand on his forehead and using her thumb, carefully pried open his tightly shut eyes, one by one, and laughed as he weakly protested. "And get dressed. I want to see you at the breakfast table in fifteen minutes. Okay?" She thought he mumbled something like an 'okay' but it couldn't be certain. "OH-KAY?" She said louder, earning a definitive answer this time. He glared at her through groggy, sleep crusted eyes, and yet that only made her gush all the more. Izayoi took her son's face in her hands, squishing it some; she leaned in and put their noses together for a brief moment. "You can't scare me with that." Inuyasha rolled his sleepy eyes.
"Mom, you're being weird again." He deadpanned and watched as she left his room, hissing dramatically when she flipped the lights on. The garish light seemingly blinded him and he ducked his head into the safety of his pillow once more. Izayoi stopped in the door frame and looked back at her only son with a twinkling in her eye.
"You're going to be dead if you aren't downstairs in fifteen minutes." She blew him a kiss, and then promptly shut the door on her way out.